BE Patent: BE-5,469
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| Musical instrument (saxophone)
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Patentee:
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| Adolphe Sax (exact or similar names) - Paris, France |
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Patent Dates:
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| Granted: |
Dec. 07, 1850 |
Espacenet patent
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Jeff Joslin
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Description: |
| According to "The early saxophone in patents 1838-1850 compared" by William McBride, The Galpin Society Journal Vol. 35 (March 1982), pages 112-121, the saxophone seen in this patent shows considerable refinement when compared to the first saxophone patent, 1846 French patent FR-3,226. The tenor saxophone shown in the earlier patent looks much like the baritone saxophone shown in this patent, but the shape of the bell has been refined to something very close to its modern shape. A number of improvements were made to the keys, such as a relocation of one of the register holes that was initially located on the bottom of the crook where the pad was subject to puddled condensation. The bottom-most notes are now obtained not by simple keys on the bell, but by more elaborate mechanisms using rods. The mouthpiece is oriented more horizontally. The earlier patent favored the lower pitched instruments, reflecting the saxophone's beginnings in an attempt to produce an improved bass woodwind (see Sax's bass clarinet patent, BE-1,051 as an earlier signpost along this path of developing improved woodwinds and especially lower-pitched instruments. The 1846 saxophone patent vaguely describes a family of instruments ranging from sopranino to sub-contrabass, whereas this 1850 patent more explicitly describes soprano, alto, baritone and bass saxophones; in addition the "aigu" (sopranino) and tenor saxophones are named in a provided fingering chart. The contrabass and sub-contrabass instruments of the 1846 patent are not mentioned. |
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