Sarrusophone

The sarrusophones are a family of metal double reed conical bore woodwind instruments patented and first manufactured by French instrument maker Pierre-Louis Gautrot in 1856. Gautrot named the sarrusophone after French bandmaster Pierre-Auguste Sarrus (1813–1876), whom he credited with the concept of the instrument, though it is not clear whether Sarrus benefited financially. The instruments were intended for military bands, to serve as replacements for oboes and bassoons which at the time lacked the carrying power required for outdoor marching music. Although originally designed as double-reed instruments, single-reed mouthpieces were later developed for use with the larger bass and contrabass sarrusophones. The sarrusophone was manufactured in the following sizes and had the following theoretical ranges: E-flat Sopranino B♭-G (Sounding D♭_4-B♭_6) B-flat Soprano B♭-G (Sounding A♭_3-F_6) E-flat Alto G-G (Sounding B♭_2-B♭_5) B-flat Tenor B♭-G (Sounding A♭_2-F_5) E-flat Baritone A-G (Sounding C_2-B♭_4) B-flat Bass B♭-G (Sounding A♭_1-F_4) EE-flat Contrabass B♭-G (Sounding D♭_1-B♭_3) CC Contrabass B♭-G (Sounding B♭_0-G_3) BB-flat Contrabass B♭-G (Sounding A♭_0-F_3) All sarrusophones are transposing instruments notated in treble clef, except the CC contrabass which is notated in bass clef and sounds an octave lower, like the contrabassoon. The sarrusophone has a very similar written range to saxophone; the lowest note is the same written B♭_3 below middle C_4 (some have extra keys to go to a low A or G), and the key work usually allows a practical range to high G_6. Until the turn of the 21st century, the BB♭ contrabass had the distinguishing feature of being the lowest pitched reed instrument ever placed in production, since it is capable of producing a low A♭_0, one semitone below A_0, the lowest note of both the piano and a contrabassoon with a low A key. Both the B♭ subcontrabass saxophone, first built in 2010, and the Eppelsheim B♭ tubax, a similar hybrid saxophone introduced ten years earlier, also have A♭_0 as their lowest pitch.