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America's Millennium Tribute to Adolphe Sax
Volume I

Arizona University Recordings
Contemporary Composer and Performer Series
America's Millennium Tribute to ADOLPHE SAX, Volume I
with special guest artist Jean-Marie LONDEIX

AUR CD 3063
$16.95 (includes free shipping in the US)

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Track Listing

San Antonio for saxophone and piano (1994)  
1 I. The Summons  
2 II. Line Dance  
3 III. Couples' Dance  
Trois Méditations (1978-1981) for saxopohone solo  
4 l. Méditation 1  
5 ll. Méditation 2  
7 Solar Dreams (1995  
8 Légende, Op. 66 (1918)  
9 Movement VIII (1997) for solo saxophone  
New Wave (1993) by Gregory W. Yasinitsky  
13 Diastems II (1997) for solo alto saxophone  
14 Far Corner (1994)  
15 Eulogy (1990)  
16 Perpetual Motion  

Adolphe Sax was born Antoine Joseph Sax on November 6, 1814 in Dinant, Belgium, the first of eleven children. A brilliant but somewhat accident prone child, Adolphe showed an early desire to follow in his father's footsteps as a woodwind and brass musical instrument maker. By the age of six Adolphe had skillfully drilled his first clarinet, and in 1830 showed two flutes and an ivory clarinet of his own construction at the Brussels Industrial Exhibition. An interesting, but consistently controversial career as an instrument maker was well established by the time Adolphe was only 20 years of age. It is at about this point that he "re-invented" the bass clarinet. An earlier version of this instrument had been developed by Desfontenelles in 1802, but Sax's instrument was decidedly better. However, when one disrupts tradition, even if such disruptions are for the better, one usually meets with resistance and Sax would meet with more than his fair share of resistance as a result of this and other musical innovations. Adolphe served as head of his father's musical instrument manufacturing business in Brussels until 1842 when he made the decision to move to Paris. By this time it is believed that Sax had already invented the instrument we now refer to as the Saxophone. Hand written descriptions of such an instrument were made as early as 1838 by Maurice Hamel, the son of a close friend of Adolphe Sax. It is certain that the Saxophone was in use by 1842 due to a glowing "review" by Hector Berlioz of Adolphe Sax and his new invention which appeared in the "Journal Des Debats" on June 12, 1842.

Sax established a very successful musical instrument manufacturing business in Paris, much to the dismay and envy of his colleagues. He suffered slanderous words and even vandalism at the hands of his rivals, but stood his ground producing instruments superior to most. These instruments deemed, by Sax and his allies, as being so superior to the instruments found in the band of the Guarde Republique de France, that it was decided a competition should be held to determine whether such claims had merit. The competition held on April 22, 1845 was dubbed the Champs De Mars. A crowd of military officers and nearly 20,000 Parisians gathered in an open field in central Paris to decide between the instrumentation of the established military band with that of a band consisting of instruments from Sax's factory. The large audience enthusiastically chose Sax's band. It wasn't long after the Champs De Mars that most of the instruments played in the band of the Guarde Republique were from Adolphe Sax's shop.

Adolphe Sax patented his Saxophone in 1846 and by 1857 he had received a faculty appointment to the Paris Conservatory as Professor of Saxophone and Military Music. In 1870 Germany had defeated France in battle and during the ensuing occupation, Sax's position at the conservatory was deemed unnecessary. It would be 72 years before the saxophone would again be taught at the Paris Conservatory. Sax's musical innovations received international recognition during his lifetime, but bad health and constant legal and financial problems placed a dark cloud over much of Sax's existence.

Antoine Joseph (Adolphe) Sax died nearly destitute on February 4, 1894. The saxophone, more than any of his other inventions, provided an astounding legacy for the Belgian born instrument maker. This unique woodwind instrument has become one of the most popular and versatile instrumental voices of the 20th century, and 184 years after the birth of its inventor, saxophonists from the "New World" pay their most sincere respect to Adolphe Sax.

The author is indebted to Kochnitzsky, Horwood and Hemke for their thorough research into Sax's life and accomplishments.

-- Notes by Dr. Michael E. Hester