2. History of Development

The saxophone was developed around 1840 by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Unlike many other orchestral instruments it does not have its predecessors in folk music.Instead, it represents a completely new creation. Sax' construction consisted of a metal tube made of sheet brass and combined with a mouthpiece commonly used for clarinets (therefore classified as woodwind instrument). Although the saxophone was primarily used in military music to begin with, it later evolved into a solo instrument in jazz.

Sax originally designed his saxophones in two different model ranges. One for symphonic tunings C/F and the other for wind music in tunings Bb/Eb. While C and F-Instruments were discontinued long time ago, Bb/Eb Instruments are the standard today. Sax did not manage to establish the saxophone as an instrument for symphonic works. Only a few compositions include the saxophone as an orchestral instrument. However, it still became a widely popular instrument in classical chamber music and solo repertoire. Of course, it has a prime position in all types of brass music. It is also a prominent solo instrument in jazz and plays an important role in all styles of pop music.