Yesterday, November 6th, was National Saxophone Day. The day commemorates the birthday of Antoine-Joseph “Adolphe” Sax, the inventor of the saxophone, who was born in 1814. He played flute and clarinet, attending the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Sax’s first inventions were edits to the design of these two instruments before he started branching out to completely new instruments. He is most well-known for being a prolific inventor, designing and inventing the first version of the saxophone in the early 1840s, with the patent granted in 1846. However, he also made edits to other instruments to make them easier to play as well as creating new instruments no longer in use.
I have been playing saxophone since the fifth grade, the earliest I could start, meaning that I have been playing for over a decade. Over the years, I have played many instruments, but saxophone is by far my favorite, tenor in particular. As most do, I started on alto, but there is something special about tenor, and it has been my main instrument ever since I first picked one up. I love the versatility of the instrument and the ability to easily switch between the main saxophones. Due to Adolphe Sax being a flautist, he likely intentionally designed them to be similar in how each note is played, which has increased my versatility as I easily learned how to play flute on top of saxophone.
Let’s hear from some other saxophone players on campus.
Annie Giannetto ‘26 says, “The tonal flexibility of the instrument has allowed me to become a better musician in both mechanically difficult pieces as well as simpler, more fun ones, which is something that I really enjoy.”
Joanna Thompson ‘26 shares, “I have been playing the alto saxophone since 6th grade, and I love it because it gives me a creative outlet from my studies.”
Kara Fry ‘27 states, “Playing saxophone and making music for others is something I cherish deeply. From the smallest soprano to the largest bari sax, there is a sound and tone for anyone and anything. I appreciate this variety within saxophones. I really love the horn, and I always thank my younger self for choosing it. It has been very fun over the years.”
We love saxophones!
Kathryn McElfresh
Staff Reporter
