Music Appreciation: History of the Saxophone

The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in the early 1840s and was patented in 1846. Since then it has been at the vanguard of a series of musical genres. In this course we will look at the history of the saxophone and the various different types of saxophone. We will look at the part the sax has played in a wide range of musical genres including classical music (concert bands, chamber music, solo repertoire, and occasionally orchestras), military bands, marching bands, jazz (big bands and jazz combos), and contemporary music. Did you know for example that the saxophone features in Ravel's Bolero? Throughout the course we will illustrate all these musical genres with music played live by the course tutor on a range of saxophones. We will also look at all the different types of saxophone and demonstrate the difference in their sound and construction as well as examining their role in the development of music - once again with live demonstrations of the wide range of styles and genres which have adopted this, the most flexible of instruments. Whether or not you know the saxophone as an instrument, you may be surprised to find out how widely it has been adopted throughout its history.