Subcontrabass saxophone
Eppelsheim full-size subcontrabass in B♭ | |
| Woodwind instrument | |
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| Classification | Single-reed |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 422.212-71 (Single-reed aerophone with keys) |
| Inventor | Adolphe Sax |
| Developed | Conceived 1846; first instrument 2010 |
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Orchestral saxophones: Specialty saxophones: | |
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The subcontrabass saxophone is the largest of the family of saxophones that Adolphe Sax described in his 1846 patent. In the patent paperwork he called it the saxophone bourdon, named after the very low-pitched 32′ bourdon pedal stop on large pipe organs. Sax planned to build one, but did not; the first playable subcontrabass saxophone was built in 2010. It is a transposing instrument pitched in B♭ one octave below the bass saxophone, two octaves below the tenor, and three octaves and a major second below its written pitch.