C melody saxophone
| C melody saxophone | |
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| C melody saxophone by CG Conn | |
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Aerophone saxophone |
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The C-Melody saxophone is a saxophone tuned in C , i.e. a whole tone above the tenor saxophone . It is also known as the C tenor saxophone . The C-Melody saxophone belongs to the saxophone group in C and F, which was intended by its inventor, Adolphe Sax , for use in symphony orchestras. Since 1930 only Eb and Bb saxophones (which were originally intended for military music) have been produced on a larger scale.
A C melody saxophone is larger than an alto saxophone and smaller than a tenor saxophone . Viewed from the side, it resembles a tenor saxophone, although it is smaller and the bell looks longer. Most C-Melody saxophones have curved S-bows (like the tenor saxophone), although C. G. Conn made C-Melody saxophones with straight S-bows.
history
Some quality manufacturers produced C-Melody saxophones (including Buescher , CG Conn , Selmer , Martin and King) from 1914 to 1930. The production of C-Melody saxophones peaked around 1923, after which it gradually declined. By the end of the 1920s, only a relatively small number of C melody saxophones were made. The straight neck tenor saxophone in C by Conn is currently the most famous orchestral saxophone and has a classic sound. It is one of the few models made for professional use.
C-Melody saxophones became cheaper from the late 1910s to the early 1930s when a version of the saxophone intended for amateur use was brought onto the market. It had a considerably narrower chamber than a B-flat tenor saxophone, so it was more or less a "stretched" version of the chamber of an alto saxophone.
By the end of the 1920s, the popularity of C melody saxophones had declined sharply. After Black Thursday (1929), sales of all saxophones fell dramatically, and the C melody saxophone (and mezzo-soprano saxophone ) was one of those models whose production was discontinued shortly afterwards. However, production was stopped for purely financial reasons and not due to a flaw in design or poor production standards.
The main problem was that the Great Depression that immediately followed the stock market crash of 1929 created extremely harsh economic conditions around the world that also affected the production of all recreational consumer goods. This unusually strong economic downturn hit the saxophone manufacturers hard and forced them to reduce their range of musical instruments to the most popular models in order to survive. As a result, the production of C melody saxophones ended abruptly. When the world economy had recovered to such an extent (around 1935) that the production of C melody saxophones would have been economically feasible again, leisure interests had changed and there was no longer any market for them. In addition, the age of the big band had started in the early 1930s, and anyone who wanted to learn to play the saxophone was interested in the soprano , alto, tenor or baritone saxophone because these instruments could be used in big bands while playing they were not interested in C melody saxophones. As a result, the demand for C melody saxophones dwindled, manufacturers stopped producing them and instead focused on other types that were in high demand and were therefore easy to sell.
In the 1960s Vito (a French company) manufactured a few C melody saxophones, around 20 of which were sold.
In the 21st century, the Aquilasax, Thomann and Sakkusu companies are again producing C melody saxophones.
Some jazz musicians began with the C melody saxophone, including Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins , although Carter later switched to alto saxophone and Hawkins to tenor saxophone. Rudy Wiedoeft is considered to be the most prominent player of a C melody saxophone . Although he also played alto and soprano saxophones (in ensembles with Arnold Brilhart, Alford Evans, and others), he made his most famous recordings on the C melody saxophone and was a major contributor to the popularity of the C melody saxophones in the 1920s Years.
Another specialist on the C melody saxophone was Frankie Trumbauer , a jazz musician known for his exceptional technical skills on the instrument. Jack Pettis , a member of the Ben Bernie Orchestra and a recording artist under his own name, was also an accomplished player of the instrument. Some modern saxophonists play C melody saxophones on occasion, including Anthony Braxton , Kyle Vincent , Scott Robinson , Rick Arbuckle , Dan Levinson , Hayes Greenfield, and Joe Lovano .
advantages
The main selling point of the C melody saxophone was the fact that, unlike other saxophones, it is not a transposing instrument. As a result, you can use a C melody saxophone to play written parts (for example, sheet music for flute , oboe , violin or piano ) without having to transpose or use rewritten notes, which is necessary with most other saxophones. This enables amateur musicians to play together with other sounding instruments from a sheet of music - as long as the music fits the range of the C-Melody saxophone, i.e. is neither too high nor too low.
Another argument in favor of the purchase was that the C-Melody saxophone produces a quieter sound than an alto or tenor saxophone, which is partly due to the mouthpieces used. Many pieces, mainly influenced by dance music of the 1920s, were written specifically for this instrument.
Mouthpieces
Mouthpieces were specially made for the C-Melody saxophone. The C-Melody saxophone has a muffled sound compared to other saxophone types, especially when an old C-Melody saxophone mouthpiece is used. That was an advantage in its intended gaming environment, living rooms.
Some players successfully use a tenor saxophone mouthpiece with their C melody saxophone, although depending on the choice of mouthpiece, there may be problems with the accuracy of the intonation , especially at the upper end of the range, as these mouthpieces are adapted in length to tenor saxophones. Other players successfully use alto saxophone mouthpieces on their C melody saxophone. Equipped with a more modern mouthpiece, a C melody saxophone can lose some of its muted qualities and sound brighter and more powerful, similar to an alto or tenor saxophone. There are currently several manufacturers of C-Melody saxophone mouthpieces.
Web links
- John Robert Brown: A View of the C .: The Fall and Rise of the C-melody Saxophone (English)
- Malcolm Dickinson: C melody saxophones . January 2002
- C-Melody or C-Tenor, what kind of saxophones are they? on saxwelt.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Martin C Melody saxophone review. In: shwoodwind.co.uk. Retrieved March 25, 2018 .
- ↑ King C Melody saxophone review. In: shwoodwind.co.uk. Retrieved March 25, 2018 .
- ↑ Why are there C melody saxophones? In: cmelodysax.co.uk. Retrieved March 25, 2018 .
- ↑ C melody saxophones ( Memento from January 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive ). In: cmelody.com (English).
- ↑ Leblanc Vito C-Melody built by Beaugnier in France ( Memento from November 10, 2014 in the Internet Archive )