Contrabass sarrusophone
Encyclopedia
The Eb contrabass sarrusophone was the only sarrusophone
that was ever mass produced in the United States. It was made by companies such as Gautrot, Couesnon, Romeo Orsi, Rampone (and Cazzani), Buffet Crampon
(Evette and Schaeffer), and C.G. Conn.
, due partially to the fact that it is played with a double reed
, and partially because of the narrower bore. The CC sarrusophone sounds much like the contrabassoon
, and in fact was preferred over the contrabassoon for many years, until Heckel modernized the contrabassoon. (Prior to that, the contrabassoon had very poor intonation and a weak sound.) The BB♭ contrabass sarrusophone is the lowest of the sarrusophones, and was the lowest-pitched wind instrument until the invention of the EEE♭ octocontra-alto and the BBB♭ octocontrabass clarinets, and the BB♭ subcontrabass tubax
. Contrabass sarrusophones come in two bore widths: big pipes, which sound mellower and softer, but are still reedy; and small pipes, which are extremely reedy.
All contrabass sarrusophones, except for the CC contrabass, are transposing instrument
s.
The contrabass sarrusophone is sometimes confused with the reed contrabass
, to which it bears some superficial resemblance.
reeds. This leads to most people making their own reeds (as is the practice of most oboe and bassoon players). Contrabass sarrusophone reeds are still manufactured by Vandoren, and one can sometimes substitute the great-bass sordune
reed. Sarrusophones are traditionally played with a double reed, but single reed mouthpieces have also been used. These mouthpieces are similar in size to soprano or alto saxophone mouthpieces.
, and being approximately 4 feet tall, about the same height as a bass saxophone
. This makes them more convenient to carry around, fitting into cars more easily, and putting less strain on one's muscles while carrying or playing it. Conn made contrabass sarrusophones, instead of contrabass saxophone
s, because the sarrusophones were easier to ship across seas, and to send through the mail, due to their lightness.
Over the Hills and Far Away, Paderewski's Symphony in B Minor (Polonia), which called for three EE♭ contrabass sarrusophone players, Maurice Ravel
's L'heure espagnol, and Arrigo Boito
's Nerone. Paul Dukas
also used it in his orchestral tone poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice
. And, last but not least, Sir Thomas Beecham performed Josef Holbrooke's Apollo and the Seaman with contrabass sarrusophone players, which they had to ship in from France
. Igor Stravinsky
's first fully serial
work, Threni
(1958), a symphonic/choral setting of passages from the Latin Vulgate
of the Book of Lamentations
, includes a sarrusophone in its unusual scoring, which also features a solo Flugelhorn
(Robert Craft
has recorded this piece twice). American composer Barney Childs
composed a chamber work, The Golden Bubble (1967), for EE♭ contrabass sarrusophone and one percussionist. Today, the sarrusophone finds more work in film scores, such as "Tombstone" and "The Scorpion King", where it adds sinister and foreboding elements.
on what is possibly a Conn EE♭ contrabass sarrusophone with a single-reed mouthpiece (Bechet was not a trained double reed player), with Louis Armstrong
on cornet
, Charlie Irvis
on trombone
, Clarence Williams on piano
, and Buddy Christian on banjo
. Gerald Oshita
also performed avant-garde jazz on a Conn EE♭ contrabass sarrusophone. More recent examples include recordings by Scott Robinson (jazz musician)
, James Carter (musician)
, and Lenny Pickett.
Sarrusophone
The sarrusophone is a family of transposing musical instruments patented and placed into production by Pierre-Louis Gautrot in 1856. It was named after the French bandmaster Pierre-Auguste Sarrus who is credited with the concept of the instrument...
that was ever mass produced in the United States. It was made by companies such as Gautrot, Couesnon, Romeo Orsi, Rampone (and Cazzani), Buffet Crampon
Buffet Crampon
Buffet Crampon et Compagnie is a French manufacturer of woodwind musical instruments, including oboes, flutes, saxophones, and bassoons; however, the company is perhaps most famous for their clarinets, as Buffet is the brand of choice for many professionals....
(Evette and Schaeffer), and C.G. Conn.
Tone
The EE♭ sarrusophone has the tone of a reedy contrabass saxophoneContrabass saxophone
The contrabass saxophone is the lowest-pitched extant member of the saxophone family proper. It is extremely large and heavy , and is pitched in the key of E, one octave below the baritone.-History:The contrabass...
, due partially to the fact that it is played with a double reed
Double reed
A double reed is a type of reed used to produce sound in various wind instruments. The term double reed comes from the fact that there are two pieces of cane vibrating against each other. A single reed consists of one piece of cane which vibrates against a mouthpiece made of metal, hardened...
, and partially because of the narrower bore. The CC sarrusophone sounds much like the contrabassoon
Contrabassoon
The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon or double-bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower...
, and in fact was preferred over the contrabassoon for many years, until Heckel modernized the contrabassoon. (Prior to that, the contrabassoon had very poor intonation and a weak sound.) The BB♭ contrabass sarrusophone is the lowest of the sarrusophones, and was the lowest-pitched wind instrument until the invention of the EEE♭ octocontra-alto and the BBB♭ octocontrabass clarinets, and the BB♭ subcontrabass tubax
Tubax
The tubax is a modified saxophone developed in 1999 by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim. It is available in both E contrabass and B or C subcontrabass sizes...
. Contrabass sarrusophones come in two bore widths: big pipes, which sound mellower and softer, but are still reedy; and small pipes, which are extremely reedy.
All contrabass sarrusophones, except for the CC contrabass, are transposing instrument
Transposing instrument
A transposing instrument is a musical instrument for which written notes are read at a pitch different from the corresponding concert pitch, which a non-transposing instrument, such as a piano, would play. Playing a written C on a transposing instrument will produce a note other than concert C...
s.
The contrabass sarrusophone is sometimes confused with the reed contrabass
Reed contrabass
The reed contrabass in C, otherwise known as the contrabass à anche, is a type of woodwind instrument. It is reminiscent of an ophicleide in appearance but, unlike the ophicleide, employs a double reed for the purpose of sound production...
, to which it bears some superficial resemblance.
Reed
Contrabass sarrusophones take rather large reeds; they are larger than contrabassoonContrabassoon
The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon or double-bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower...
reeds. This leads to most people making their own reeds (as is the practice of most oboe and bassoon players). Contrabass sarrusophone reeds are still manufactured by Vandoren, and one can sometimes substitute the great-bass sordune
Sordino
Sordino, with alternative forms sordono and sordun, etc., is an Italian term somewhat promiscuously applied by various writers:#to contrivances for damping or muting wind, string and percussion instruments ;...
reed. Sarrusophones are traditionally played with a double reed, but single reed mouthpieces have also been used. These mouthpieces are similar in size to soprano or alto saxophone mouthpieces.
Size
Contrabass sarrusophones are extremely light for contrabass instruments, weighing only about as much as a baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophone
The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
, and being approximately 4 feet tall, about the same height as a bass saxophone
Bass saxophone
The bass saxophone is the second largest member of the saxophone family. Its design is similar to that of the baritone saxophone, with a loop of tubing near the mouthpiece. It was the first type of saxophone presented to the public, when Adolphe Sax exhibited a bass saxophone in C at an exhibition...
. This makes them more convenient to carry around, fitting into cars more easily, and putting less strain on one's muscles while carrying or playing it. Conn made contrabass sarrusophones, instead of contrabass saxophone
Contrabass saxophone
The contrabass saxophone is the lowest-pitched extant member of the saxophone family proper. It is extremely large and heavy , and is pitched in the key of E, one octave below the baritone.-History:The contrabass...
s, because the sarrusophones were easier to ship across seas, and to send through the mail, due to their lightness.
Classical
The sarrusophone is rarely scored in classical music today, but there are a few examples. Pieces written for it include Percy Grainger'sPercy Grainger
George Percy Aldridge Grainger , known as Percy Grainger, was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist. In the course of a long and innovative career he played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century. He also made many...
Over the Hills and Far Away, Paderewski's Symphony in B Minor (Polonia), which called for three EE♭ contrabass sarrusophone players, Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
's L'heure espagnol, and Arrigo Boito
Arrigo Boito
Arrigo Boito , aka Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito, pseudonym Tobia Gorrio, was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist and composer, best known today for his libretti, especially those for Giuseppe Verdi's operas Otello and Falstaff, and his own opera Mefistofele...
's Nerone. Paul Dukas
Paul Dukas
Paul Abraham Dukas was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man, of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, and he abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions...
also used it in his orchestral tone poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
The Sorcerer's Apprentice is the English name of a poem by Goethe, Der Zauberlehrling, written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in fourteen stanzas.-Story:...
. And, last but not least, Sir Thomas Beecham performed Josef Holbrooke's Apollo and the Seaman with contrabass sarrusophone players, which they had to ship in from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
's first fully serial
Serialism
In music, serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though his contemporaries were also working to establish serialism as one example of...
work, Threni
Threni (Stravinsky)
Threni: id est Lamentationes Jeremiae Prophetae, usually referred to simply as Threni, is a setting by Igor Stravinsky of verses from the Book of Lamentations in the Latin of the Vulgate, for solo singers, chorus and orchestra. It is important in Stravinsky's output as his first and longest...
(1958), a symphonic/choral setting of passages from the Latin Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
of the Book of Lamentations
Book of Lamentations
The Book of Lamentations ) is a poetic book of the Hebrew Bible composed by the Jewish prophet Jeremiah. It mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple in the 6th Century BCE....
, includes a sarrusophone in its unusual scoring, which also features a solo Flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
(Robert Craft
Robert Craft
Robert Lawson Craft is an American conductor and writer. He is best known for his intimate working friendship with Igor Stravinsky, a relationship which resulted in a number of recordings and books.-Life:...
has recorded this piece twice). American composer Barney Childs
Barney Childs
Barney Childs was an American composer and teacher.Born in Spokane, Washington, he taught and composed avant-garde music and literature at universities in the United States and United Kingdom.-Music:...
composed a chamber work, The Golden Bubble (1967), for EE♭ contrabass sarrusophone and one percussionist. Today, the sarrusophone finds more work in film scores, such as "Tombstone" and "The Scorpion King", where it adds sinister and foreboding elements.
Jazz
An unusual example of jazz that uses the contrabass sarrusophone is the song "Mandy, Make Up Your Mind", with Sidney BechetSidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.He was one of the first important soloists in jazz , and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist...
on what is possibly a Conn EE♭ contrabass sarrusophone with a single-reed mouthpiece (Bechet was not a trained double reed player), with Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
on cornet
Cornet
The cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
, Charlie Irvis
Charlie Irvis
Charlie Irvis was an American jazz trombonist, best known for performing in Duke Ellington's band.Irvis played with Bubber Miley in his youth and then with blues singer Lucille Hegamin in the "Blue Flame Syncopators" from 1920 to 1921...
on trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, Clarence Williams on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, and Buddy Christian on banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
. Gerald Oshita
Gerald Oshita
Gerald Oshita was an American musician, composer, and sound recordist.Oshita, who was of Japanese ancestry, lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and specialized in unusual wind instruments, particularly those of especially low register...
also performed avant-garde jazz on a Conn EE♭ contrabass sarrusophone. More recent examples include recordings by Scott Robinson (jazz musician)
Scott Robinson (jazz musician)
Scott Robinson is an American jazz musician. Robinson is best known for his work with various styles of saxophone, but has also performed with the clarinet, flute, and sarrusophone, along with other, more obscure instruments....
, James Carter (musician)
James Carter (musician)
James Carter is an American jazz musician.Carter was born in Detroit, Michigan and learned to play there before moving to New York City. He has been prominent as a performer and recording artist on the jazz scene since the mid-1990s, playing saxophones, flute, and bass clarinet...
, and Lenny Pickett.