This special display of instruments made by three generations of the Sax family marks the bicentenary of the birth of Adolphe Sax. Rare saxophones, brass instruments, and an exquisite ivory clarinet are among the twenty-six instruments selected to showcase the inventions and innovations of this important family.
There are few instrument makers who have become a household name. The eponymous instruments of Adolphe Sax have had a wide-reaching impact on music and society. Patented in 1846 and conceived as a military band and orchestral instrument, the saxophone is now integral to many different types of music around the world. Through jazz and pop, it achieved the type of universal popularity matched by few other instruments. During Sax's life, military and band music were transformed by saxhorns, his innovative family of brass instruments. The saxhorn fueled the brass band movement, which opened up music making to the working classes. Modern day euphoniums, tenor horns, and baritones are all descendants of the saxhorn family.
Read more: http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/objects?exhibitionId={a427663c-7533-4867-9794-2a5fac26eca4}#!?page=1
There are few instrument makers who have become a household name. The eponymous instruments of Adolphe Sax have had a wide-reaching impact on music and society. Patented in 1846 and conceived as a military band and orchestral instrument, the saxophone is now integral to many different types of music around the world. Through jazz and pop, it achieved the type of universal popularity matched by few other instruments. During Sax's life, military and band music were transformed by saxhorns, his innovative family of brass instruments. The saxhorn fueled the brass band movement, which opened up music making to the working classes. Modern day euphoniums, tenor horns, and baritones are all descendants of the saxhorn family.
Read more: http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/objects?exhibitionId={a427663c-7533-4867-9794-2a5fac26eca4}#!?page=1