The origins of the Saxophone
The birth of the saxophone

The saxophone is only a few instruments in wide use today known to be invented by a single individual. His name is Adolphe Sax: that is why it is called the saxophone.
History tells us that Adolphe Sax (1814 - 1894) was a musical instrument designer born in Belgium who could play many wind instruments. His idea was to create an instrument that combined the best qualities of a woodwind instrument with the best qualities of a brass instrument, and in the 1840s he conceived the saxophone. This invention was patented in Paris in 1846.

The saxophone has always been made of brass since it was first invented. Because of the principles by which it produces sound, however, it is classified as a woodwind, much like the clarinet and flute.