The C melody saxophone is a saxophone in the key of C, one whole step above the tenor saxophone. The C melody saxophone was part of the series of saxophones pitched in C and F, intended by the instrument's inventor, Adolphe Sax, for orchestral use. It is no longer produced, the series in B-flat and E-flat (intended by Sax for use in military bands and wind ensembles) winning out. Saxophones of different sizes play in different registers. ... The tenor saxophone is one of the larger members of the saxophone family invented by Adolphe Sax. ... Life-size statue of Adolphe Sax outside his birthplace in Dinant, Belgium. ...
The C melody saxophone was marketed during the 1920s as a quieter version of the saxophone intended for domestic, amateur use, with another major selling being that the player could read regular music in the key of C without having to transpose. By the late 1920s, however, it had faded dramatically in popularity. Some early jazz players got their start on the C melody, including Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins, though Carter eventually moved to the alto and Hawkins to the B-flat tenor instrument. Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. ... Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins, nicknamed Hawk and sometimes Bean, (November 21, 1904 - May 19, 1969) was a prominent jazz tenor saxophone musician. ...
Current performers playing and recording with the instrument include Anthony Braxton, Scott Robinson, and Joe Lovano. Most play on vintage instruments, although a similar saxophone in C is now being produced. Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is a composer, multi-reedist and pianist. ... Scott Robinson (born November 22, 1979 in Basildon, Essex, England) is a pop singer and is most noted for having been a member of the boy band 5ive. ... Joseph Salvatore Lovano (born 29 December 1952) is a jazz saxophonist and clarinet player. ...
External links
"A View of the C.: The Fall and Rise of the C-melody Saxophone" by John Robert Brown
C Melody Saxophone Forum
Melody from the Sky: Scott Robinson Plays C-Melody Saxophone
The Cmelodysaxophone was part of the series of saxophones pitched in C and F, intended by the instrument's inventor, Adolphe Sax, for orchestral use.
The Cmelodysaxophone was marketed from the late 1910s through the early 1930s as a version of the saxophone intended for amateur use, in homes, schools, and town bands.
Although he played alto and soprano saxophones as well (the latter in ensembles with Arnold Brillhart, Alford Evans, and others), he made his most famous recordings on the Cmelody, and was a significant factor in the saxophone craze that resulted in so many Cmelody instruments being sold in the 1920s.
The tenor in C, generally known as the Cmelodysaxophone, became very popular among amateurs in the 1920s and early 1930s, because its players could read music in concert pitch (such as that written for piano, voice, or violin) without the need to transpose.
A similarly sized instrument, the contralto saxophone, was developed in the late 20th century by California instrument maker Jim Schmidt; this instrument has a larger bore and a new fingering system so it does not resemble the Cmelody instrument except for its key and register.
Virtually all saxophones are transposing instruments: Sopranino, alto and baritone saxophones are in the key of E-flat, and soprano, tenor and bass saxophones are in the key of B-flat.
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