The Ultimate Musical Instrument Site

The history of the saxophone can be traced back over 150 years. Although this seems like a long time, the saxophone is one of the newer instruments in the musical spectrum. It was invented by and named for Antoine-Joseph (Adolphe) Sax. He was an expert instrument maker and talented musician. The saxophone was patented on March 20, 1846. It has since become a necessity in every band due to its tonal beauty and versatility.

Sax grew up in the trade of instrument making. Sax's father was an expert in instrument making. By the age of six, Sax had already become an expert in it as well. Sax, being the musician he was, became aware of the tonal disparity between strings and winds: moreover, that between brasses and woodwinds. The strings were being overpowered by the winds and the woodwinds were being overblown by the brasses. Sax needed an instrument that would balance the three sections. His answer to the problem was a horn with the body of a brass instrument and the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument. When he combined these two elements, the saxophone was born.

The first saxophone, a C bass, was displayed for the first time, in 1841, to the famous composer, Hector Berlioz. He was amazed at its versatility, unique tone, and control of dynamics. In 1842, Sax moved to Paris to introduce his new instrument to the rest of the world. Soon to follow was the creation of an entire saxophone family: fourteen different saxophones in all. Each differed by size and pitch. They were the: E flat sopranino, F sopranino, B flat soprano, C soprano, E flat alto, F alto, B flat tenor, C tenor, E flat baritone, B flat bass, C bass, E flat contrabass, and F contrabass. Many of these variations, however, are seldom used or have become obsolete.

The saxophone finally became known as an integral part of all bands in 1845. This is the year of the famous "battle of the bands". The French Army band was still using "traditional" instrumentation. Sax saw this as an opportunity to show the world how the saxophone could improve the tonal quality in all bands. He suggested a contest between an army band composed of the original orchestral instrumentation against a band with an instrumentation that included saxophones. Sax’s band of twenty-eight men, compared to the French Army band of thirty-five, overwhelmed the crowd. That day, the saxophone was officially introduced into the French Army Band and soon to all other bands.

Many composers began to write music for the saxophone, but it was not until about seventy-five years later that the saxophone began to be used to play dance music. However, to do this the saxophone needed to be altered. Originally, the sax was designed to have a smooth, mellow, and balanced tone. This had to be changed so it could compete with the blaring trumpets, noisy drums, shuffling feet, and loud talking that accompanied the surroundings of early twentieth century dance bands. The mouthpiece of the sax was made smaller and more parallel. This gave the sax the loud, obnoxious sound needed for jazz and dance music. Since this metamorphosis, the saxophone has been thought of as primarily a jazz instrument.

Today, many people enjoy the wonderful music produced by the saxophone. The beautiful sound of a sax quintet or a blaring jazz soloist can be heard all around the world. The saxophone has become a part of almost every style of music. It is being played everywhere from night clubs to football fields. The saxophone is truly one of the great musical instruments in our existence.

http://www.angelfire.com/ga/sax99/history.html

The invention of the clarinet dates back to the 1700's to a well-known flute-maker by the name of Johan Christoph Denner. Before his invention, single reeds were used only in organs and folk instruments. The clarinet's immediate predecessor was the small mock trumpet, or chalumateu. The word chalumeau is of French origin and is a generic name for any small reed-blown pipe. It is commonly implied that Denner invented the clarinet by improving the chalumeau.

Denner gave the clarinet a separate mouthpiece, added keys to it, developed the bell, and made available for the first time, the third and fifth harmonics. The clarinet was used very sporadically in the first half of the 18th century and restricted parts were assigned to it. This was probably due to the imperfections of the new instrument.

The earliest known music for the clarinet appeared in tune books published by Estienne Roger of Amsterdam. At this time, the instrument was played with the reed up, and had two keys. A small bell was added in 1720, and the tube of the clarinet was modified to carry the low E key. By the late 1800's the instrument had five or six keys and was built in various pitches. Music written for the clarinet was transposed, so that the same fingerings were present in all clarinets.

By 1800 few orchestras would have been without the clarinet. In chamber music, its place had been assured by Mozart. Early works featuring the instrument include the overture for two clarinets and horn (1748) by the German-English composer George Frideric Handel and the clarinet concerto (1791) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who wrote the first symphony featuring the clarinet. As a solo instrument it had already had by 1800 a fairly long career. The years 1800 to 1840 were a period of soloists and concerto players and mechanical development. In 1812 Ivan Muller presented a newly designed clarinet to the Paris Conservatoire. The new instrument was one of 13 keys and the furthest advance since the work of Denner. Muller is said to have been the second great figure in the world of development of the clarinet

The modern clarinet was developed between 1800 and 1850, and further keys were added to improve certain notes. The bores and the mouthpieces of the clarinet were enlarged to allow greater tonal power.

The last innovator in the history of the clarinet was Hyacinthe Klose. In 1839 he invented what has since become known as the Boehm System clarinet. The system is named after Theobald Boehm who invented a system for the flute by placing holes in the proper acoustical positions. He also invented a series of ring keys by which a finger can close a ring when covering a whole, and by doing so operate another key to cover a different hole of some distance. Auguste Buffet's needle springs were soon added to the clarinet in 1840, finishing the basic elements of the modern clarinet system.

THE CLARINET

Throughout its history the clarinet has been made in different sizes. There are also a number of related single reed instruments of which the basset horn is the most important. The name clarinet is plainly a diminutive of clario, the Italian word for trumpet, and particularly for the high register of the instrument. The word clarinetto is the standard Italian name from which other languages derived their names for the instrument. The clarinet has been built from the beginning as a transposing instrument in many different pitches and dimensions. The compass is in theory the same for all, from written e to c'''', three octaves and a sixth in all.

The family of clarinets is a large one, ranging from the high A-flat, a little more than 14 inches in length, to the contra bass, which measures about 9 feet. The most commonly encountered are those pitched in A and Bb.

As a rule, the clarinet consists of five parts- mouthpieces with reed, barrel, upper or left-hand joint, lower or right-hand joint, and bell. The present size of the mouthpiece was fixed more than a century ago. The reed and mouthpiece of the earliest clarinets were almost of modern dimensions. Mouthpieces have been made of many materials, of wood to begin with, of ivory, of metal, of glass, of ebonite, and of plastics.
The reed was first attached to the mouthpiece by means of waxed thread of a silken cord, while Ivan Muller introduced the present metal ligature in the early 1800's.

The barrel is often considered the least important of the clarinet. However the barrel must be made properly to guide the vibration generated by the reed and mouthpiece to the main body of the instrument.

The upper and lower joints of the clarinet are in modern practice normally made in two pieces. In early clarinets upper and lower joints were frequently made in one. The division of the tube came around the middle of the 18th century. This division was due primarily to allow the introduction of joints of varying lengths to vary the pitch. To secure an absolutely airtight connection, cork lining is preferred to cover the tenon. The bell, like the barrel, has not always received the attention it merits. It is an essential part of the instrument's acoustical system and not just an ornamental addition.

Many varieties of the clarinet exist. They include:

(1) Clarinet in C, Bb, or A
(2) Bass Clarinet
(3) High Eb Clarinet
(4) High D Clarinet
(5) Alto Clarinet - in Eb and F
(6) Contrabass Clarinet
(7) 3 obscure modern instruments related to the clarinet family by possessing a single reed are the Clarina, the Heckelclarina or Heckelclarinette, and the Holztrompete.

http://elusion.selenity.net/enlighten/Clarinet_History.htm

The Early Flutes

In The Middle Ages and the Renaissance

circa 1320 - One-piece wooden flute, 2' long, key of "D" 
1511 - Zwerchpfeiff, narrower, 6 finger-holes 
1529 - Descant, alto, tenor and bass versions appear 
Around the turn of the 16th century - "fifes" became very popular! 
1619 - 20 - Praetorius' SYNTAGMA MUSICUM portrays three Querflotten, with 2-octave ranges 
1636 - Flutes Allemands appear, keys of "D" and "G", with new cylindrical bore, made of wood

In The 17th and 18th Centuries

1670 - Three-piece, 1-keyed flute in "D" appears in Jean Baptiste Lully's famous orchestra in France. More changes: conical bore (tapers down to middle, placing the holes closer together) and smaller finger-holes 
1720 - Middle joint is divided in half, called corps de recharge, and 2 keys added 
1722 - Famous flutist (and writer) Quantz adds tuning cork in headjoint and C# key on footjoint 
1726 - E-flat key added on footjoint 
1760 - G#, B-flat, and F keys added by London makers Florio, Gedney, and Potter 
1774 - Florio, Gedney, and Potter remove C# from footjoint 
circa 1780 - 4 and 6-keyed flutes appearing in the symphonic music of Mozart and Haydn, Meyer-system flute with 8 keys appears 
1782 - Maker J.H. Ribock adds closed C key

19th Century

1800 - B-flat lever and left-hand lever added 
1806 - 44 - Claude Laurent makes 3, 4, and 7-keyed GLASS flutes 
1808 - Rev. Frederick Nolan invents open holes (rim only, finger-pad covers holes) and links the keys to one another 
1810 - George Miller in London, starts making metal bores 
1812 - Tebaldo Monzani puts knobs on the mouth-hole 
1814 - James Wood in London makes three tuning slides 
1822 - The Nicholsons (father and son) make a thinner flute and adjust keys 
1824 - Maker Pottgiessen invents the ring and crescent key 
1827 - Rudall & Rose start making 8-keyed flutes, which become very popular 
circa 1830 - Beethoven uses the flute in his symphonies

The Boehm Era

Theobald Boehm (1794-1881) was born in Munich, was a talented goldsmith and skilled at the mechanical arts. He also served as a Royal Bavarian Court Musician, an avid flute player. His workshop was in his own home and he worked with a painter, Greve to design and build his flutes. The Boehm flute is the accepted standard today. Boehm's discoveries were quite revolutionary.

Boehm's Developments

circa 1810 - Boehm builds his first model and tinkers with keys, springs (to control key tension), and pads 
circa 1829 - Finger-holes are still too far apart, so Boehm develops completely new fingering system, even building his own machine for boring holes, pillars, posts, and flat gold springs (new system uses rods to connect all the keys, thus the need for posts, springs, etc.) 
1830 - Boehm's new model was finished 
1831 - Boehm presents new model, in performance, in Paris and London 
1832 - Boehm is inspired by hearing flute virtuoso Charles Nicholson's clear and brilliant tone; changes from standard covered holes to ring keys (see Rev. Nolan above) or "open holes", producing clearer tone and better intonation. He also aided finger action by adding a thumb crutch for the left hand.

Boehm and Others

1833 - Gordon's Diatonic Flute comes out with crescent-shaped touchpieces 
1834 - The Boehm Flute gains popularity with French and German professional flutists, as well as being widely adopted in many other areas 
1837 - Auguste Buffet (Paris instrument maker) improves on Boehm - changing axles, hole placements, lugs, rods, and sleeves (the latter hold the rods and axles together) 
1838 - Buffet and collaborator Coche, add D# trill key and "Dorus" G# key (Paris Conservatory influence) 
1839 - Flute maker Ward manufactures the Boehm flute in London 
circa 1841 - Rudall & Rose begin manufacturing Boehm flutes (also in London) along with Clair Godfroy in Paris 
1846-47 - Boehm experiments with cylindrical bore based on a "parabolic curve" (17 mm. in diameter at top of instrument to 19 mm. in the middle of the body). Also, enlarges embouchure to a quadrangular shape, producing a fuller, clearer tone, compiles his Schema for fingering, Pads - starts covering inside of closed keys with felt and the rims of open keys with skins, held together with screws and washers. 
1846 - Boehm experiments with use of metals. Decides on silver - best tone quality and least fatiguing to play 
1847 - Boehm sells rights of manufacture to Rudall & Rose and Clair Godfroy/Louis Lot in Paris. Publishes famous tome, The Flute and Flute Playing: In Acoustical, Technical and Artistic Aspects. 
1847 - Boehm Flutes imported to New York City and adopted as official instrument of the Paris Conservatory 
1849 - Composer Briccialdi adds the thumb B-flat key 
1855 - Boehm Flute wins gold medal at Paris Exhibition, to general acclaim. New players are making great technical advances thanks to Boehm's mechanical breakthroughs 
1878 - Boehm perfects his "modern silver flute" 
End of 19th Century - Flute appears in orchestral scores of Brahms, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky. Solo literature expands rapidly, with virtuosic, showpieces becoming the fashion. 
Post-Boehm - Into The 20th Century

Some modern developments

1948 - Alexander Murray, well-known flutist and teacher, collaborates with makers Albert Cooper and Elmer Cole, on the "Murray" flute - based on the "Cooper experimental" scale, and with a "corrected" C# key 
1961 - 62 - Murray's next model, the "Mark I" appears 
1967 - Murray collaborates with Jack Moore, a well-known maker with the Armstrong Company 
1972 - Murray and Moore bring out production model flutes and piccolos 
Other helpful changes - duplicate G# lever, "gizmo" key, cork in headjoint to stabilize tuning. 
In the new Millennium, Lenny Lopatin of Lopatin Flutes reveals his square keyed Flute

The origins of the oboe date back to the 1200's, when the shawm was invented.  The shawm, a one-piece instrument made of boxwood, used a double reed made of cane.  Its sound was louder and more shrill than the modern oboe, but its tone was very similar.  Shawms came in various sizes and were the main reed instruments in medieval bands.

The oboe emerged in the French courts around 1650.  Its name came from the French word haubois (pronounced oat-bwa) which means "high wood."  By the 1700's the oboe was an accepted member of the orchestra.  Throughout the century, keys were added so that more notes could be played.  Since 1825, the oboe has remained basically unchanged.

The oboe family has four members.  The oboe is the highest instrument.  Next, pitched in A, is oboe d'amore which Johann Sebastian Bach used in many pieces.  The English horn, pitched even lower in F, has a haunting mellow tone.  Many oboists today also play English horn.  The baritone oboe had a short history, as it was replaced by the bassoon in performing groups.

Today, oboes are played in bands, orchestras, and smaller woodwind ensembles.  Oboes are usually made of rosewood or African blackwood (also known as grenadilla), but can also be made of ebonite, plastic, or even metal.  The oboe is often featured as a solo instrument in bands and orchestras.

http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/8128/history.html