Contrabass sarrusophone

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Contrabass sarrusophone
Contrabass sarrusophone in E♭
Woodwind instrument
Classification
Hornbostel–Sachs classification422.112
(Double reed aerophone with keys)
Inventor(s)
DevelopedMid 19th century
Playing range
{ \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } \clef treble \key c \major ^ \markup "written" \cadenzaOn bes1 \glissando g'''1 \clef bass \ottava #-1 des,,1 ^ \markup "E♭" \glissando \ottava #0 bes1 \ottava #-1 aes,,,1 ^ \markup "B♭" \glissando \ottava #0 f1 }
{ \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" } \clef bass \key c \major \cadenzaOn bes,,1 ^ \markup "C written" \glissando g'1 \ottava #-1 bes,,,1 ^ \markup "sounds" \glissando \ottava #0 g1 }
The contrabass sarrusophone sounds two octaves and a major sixth (E♭) or three octaves and a second (B♭) lower than written; the contrabass in C is written in bass clef and sounds an octave lower.[1]
Related instruments
Builders
Historical:
More articles or information
Sarrusophones:

The contrabass sarrusophone is the deepest of the family of sarrusophones, built in three sizes pitched in E♭, C or B♭. It was made in the 19th and early 20th centuries, primarily in France by its inventor and Parisian instrument maker Pierre-Louis Gautrot and his successor Couesnon & Co. [fr], and Evette & Schaeffer. It was also made in Italy by Milan manufacturers Romeo Orsi and Rampone & Cazzani, and in the United States by C. G. Conn, who built instruments in E♭ for US military bands.[1] Romeo Orsi and the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim make individual contrabass sarrusophones on request.[2][3]

Tone

The EE♭ sarrusophone has the tone of a reedy

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.[4]

The EE♭ and BB♭ sarrusophones are transposing instruments.

The contrabass sarrusophone is sometimes confused with the reed contrabass, to which it bears a superficial resemblance.

Reed

Contrabass sarrusophones take rather large reeds; they are larger than contrabassoon 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. 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 comparatively light for contrabass instruments, weighing only about as much as a baritone saxophone, and being approximately four feet tall, about the same height as a bass saxophone. This makes them more convenient to hold, play and transport.

Use

Classical

The sarrusophone is rarely scored in classical music today, but there are a few examples. Pieces written for it include

tone poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Claude Debussy includes the C instrument in Jeux, as does Frederick Delius in Eventyr, Songs of Sunset, and his Requiem. Jules Massenet writes for it in Esclarmonde. The instrument is given notable solos in Arnold Bax's Symphony No. 1, written in 1921–22. 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. American composer Barney Childs composed a chamber work, The Golden Bubble (1967), for E♭ contrabass sarrusophone and one percussionist. Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji frequently utilized the contrabass sarrusophone, calling for it in his 1st, 4th, and 8th piano concertos, Opus clavisymphonicum for piano and orchestra, his two symphonies, and the Messa grande sinfonica.[5]

Jazz

The song "Mandy Make Up Your Mind" recorded in 1924 with

Straight No Chaser”.[7]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0
    .
  2. ^ "Instruments Made on Request". Milan: Romeo Orsi. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009.
  3. ^ "Custom Made". Munich: Benedikt Eppelsheim Wind Instruments. Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Sarrusophones". Contrabass Mania. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  5. ^ "Sorabji Resource Site: Orchestral Forces".
  6. ISBN 0-306-80678-9
    .
  7. ^ Sullivan, Mark (December 12, 2018). "Frank Kimbrough: Monk's Dreams: The Complete Compositions Of Thelonious Sphere Monk". All About Jazz. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
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