Many thanks for such kind words. Soon I will post some videos of an SATB saxophone quartet, with original mourhpieces, so you can hear this kind of sounding and playing with the entire family.
Thanks for the compliment. This is consistent with the orchestral tone expectations of the 19th century orchestra, and with the description of the saxophone by those who heard it!
That's beautiful. And at the time, it must have been stunning. It sounds enough like a bassoon that it wouldn't have been totally alien, but nothing sounds quite like it. And I think it wouldn't take long for musicians and musical directors to recognize that it is a lot more practical for marching and military bands, and cheaper to manufacture than a bassoon.
That’s a lovely sound, Paul. I remember looking forward to your columns when I used to subscribe to the Saxophone Journal. The only ancient horn I have is a soprano sarrusophone by Gautrot, manufactured in the 1850s I believe. It’s a well-made instrument with a great sound. I got it because I love medieval and renaissance music, in particular the sound of the shawms, and with a reed cut more like the shawm reed I can get that kind of power with the advantage of fully chromatic keywork. It also works for middle eastern type music.
Thanks for your kind words about my Saxophone Journal Columns that were titled "Vintage Saxophones Revisited" They were a delight to write! I also love Renaissance and Medieval music, and on my upcoming saxophone quartet CD, Dances and Declamations, you can hear my adaptation of Renaissance songs and dances in my "Renaissance Book" for SATB quartet. The CD wil be released in April! Previews coming soon.
Thanks! This was the tonal happenings c. 1860. Much to learn about hearing the instrument close to its original intent of the tonal sensibilities of the time, and its relationship to orchestra settings.
Yes, it is a sad commentary of the state of classical saxophone playing. Tremendous advances in technical playing, but musical and artistic playing, including tonal nuance and awareness, continues to rapidly recede.
Such a lovely sound. I have a 1923 Buescher TrueTone baritone, and a while back acquired an ancient Henton mouthpiece via eBay. Large chamber, rather restrictive, but the horn now sounds very close to this, almost bassoon-like. I love it...
@@paulcohen2556 Thanks for your reply! I'm not super surprised, because over the years on SoTW I've read that some folks consider the Buescher TT to be closest to Sax's design (which is why Rascher used them in his quartet). My TT definitely has a different sound than the Yamaha 61 I played a few decades ago, even with the same Selmer E mouthpiece. As for the Henton, if you search on SoTW I posted about it way back in 2006.
The sound I am producing is indeed much like an 1800s baritone was designed to sound! Having the oriignal instrument and the original mouthpiece, plus an orchestral orientation to saxophone playing allows for this tone to be expressed. Modern baritones can come close and can be beautiful sounding, but does need an appropriate mouthpiece and tonal orientation.
Thanks for your kind words. Yes, when the original mouthpiece is coupled with the original bore, all saxophones can sing as elegantly as a cello or other string instrument. Today we have modern mouthpieces with similar designs adapted for more modern instruments, capable of achieving similar results.
Thanks for the kind words. Sax's original intent was to create a low reed woodwind for the orchestra to fill out the woodwind section sonority compared to the enriched brass and strings that were becoming more sonically enriched. At the time neither the bass clarinet or bassoons had either the flexibility or volume to provide that enrichment. The bass sax, first of Sax's saxophones, was designed to fill that gap. Playing outside and in military bands came later, and was a boon to Sax.
Beautiful! I'm playing a 1957 Selmer Mark VI Low A with a Selmer S80 C* bari sax that sounds almost identical to this one. Most of the videos I see of bari saxes on youtube sound more jazzy and have a lot of grit and brightness. I'm sure my mouthpiece is a big part of why ours sounds so similar, but either way I love it!
Great to hear that you are getting a similar tone to that of my Adolphe Sax baritone and original mouthpiece. Yes, those early Mark VI baris sound beautiful. The design of the S80 C* is acoustically diametrically opposite to that of the original mouthpiece that I used. The difference in chamber size is huge (Selmer is much smaller), and the chamber size is a key determinant of tone color, large chamber is dark to small chamber bright. So bravo to your strong tonal imagery to make your baritone sound as in the video!
@@paulcohen2556 I have question for you! I want that tonal characteristic that I'm getting, but with the ability for more volume. I feel like I max out this mouthpiece when I need to really push some air and get more volume. During those times it gives out on me and feels like there's just nothing more it can do. Would an S80 with a larger tip opening accomplish that? Maybe an S80 E or something like that?
@@jessekerley8625 I need to know a little more about your playing. What genre of music? What reed setup? Getting a larger tip opening is not always the best solution, as tone quality, intonation and response often degrades. Let me know more.
@@paulcohen2556 I’m playing a variety of music. On my own mostly classical, so the s80 c* is great and has plenty of volume. But I’m also playing in the local city band, which is where I’m maxing it out and need more volume. It’s a variety of music, but lots of faster stuff and quite a bit of more patriotic music.
Would you say the horn or the mouthpiece is impacting the timbre more? This near-ancient setup produces one of the most accurate classical saxophone sounds I’ve ever heard and I’m curious to hear your input. Thank you for reading.
Thanks for your provocative question. Most will not appreciate my answer. The mouthpiece is more than 85-90% responsible of the tone of the instrument, compared to the bore of this 1860s sax with more modern baritones. Now, before the mouthpiece and instrumental dimensions can have their effect, the tonal concept of the player, plus a true understanding of tone production that is independent of the materials used, has to come first and be clearly established. Then the mouthpiece and horn can have a truer sound to their original intent. So, as an example, if I were to play the original mouthpiece on one of my wonderful modern baris (Mark VI, Yanagisawa, etc) you would hear much the same sound as on the 1860s Adolphe Sax. To be clear; not identical, and the difference would be apparent to the discriminating listener, but far closer than most saxophonists would expect.
Extra comment - I note on really old baris like the one you're playing that the tubing loop is on the player's right. I'm wondering if this got changed to a left loop to make it easier to read sheet music...
The key of this baritone is Eb, and the tuning is workable with modern pitch. Soon I will be posting performances of original 19th century sax quartets played on all four of my Adolphe Sax saxes.
@@AlexanderShiu Not exactly. The original saxes were mostly in Eb and Bb, as they were used in all of the French Military bands at the time. So, my baritone is in Eb. Also, the Strauss "Sinfonia Domestica" is from 1904. The saxophone was created in the 1840s with many pieces written at the time for Eb baritone.
The mouthpiece and horn have a very sublime sound together. So many modern baris have an almost nasal, whining sound to my ear. This horn avoids it and is very pleasing.
Thanks for the kind words. Another essential component is the player's concept or image of tone that he wants to sound from the instrument. The instrument, mouthpiece and concept work well together with this bari.
Yes, I am the saxophone teacher at Columbia. You can study with me at Columbia and take part in the Manhattan School of Music saxophone orchestra and other groups. Email me with questions. Paulcohen.saxo@gmail.com
It's silver plated - most saxes now are lacquered brass, but there are a few silver plated ones still made, and a lot more were made back then. I have a Buescher baritone that's around 109 years old now, and is silver plated like this one. I have a couple of altos (including a lovely silver plated Hawkes & Sons 'Double Century' from the 1930's), a tenor (just a cheapo 1970's East German one, but it suits me), and the bari, and out of all of them the baritone is the most satisfying to play - you can feel the notes through your body! There used to be an Adolphe Sax alto floating around my home town. I tried it once, but pretty though it was, it was a bit of a dog, and having two octave keys was just too confusing for me.
Next time I come to New York, I’d absolutely love to meet you and check out some of your saxophones. I also have some nice rarities in my collection and I’m fascinated with every aspect of saxophones, including repairing them et cetera. I used to read your magazine supplements. do you have a G mezzo soprano from my friend in Denmark in your collection? Best wishes
It does look that way, doesn’t it? But these were the top professional instruments of their time, played by pros who were aware of the tonal expectations of their time for orchestra and wind playing. Not knowing the limitations compared to future models, they could play the instruments to their full, and beautiful, potential.
Lush. A tone that is beyond mellow, filled with warm honey & just enough attack. Many thnx.
Many thanks for such kind words. Soon I will post some videos of an SATB saxophone quartet, with original mourhpieces, so you can hear this kind of sounding and playing with the entire family.
Wow! What a rarity...I could wonder how many survive, and didn't get melted down for artillery shells😮 Make music, not war!
Such a warm sound!! Soft as silk
Thanks for the compliment. This is consistent with the orchestral tone expectations of the 19th century orchestra, and with the description of the saxophone by those who heard it!
Wow, that the best sounding baritone I've ever heard
Thanks! The mouthpiece gets a lot of credit as well!
I'd love to hear this sax playing with a cello, I bet it must blend in really good!
Sounds almost like an upright bass being gently bowed. Beautiful!
One of the highest compliments! Thank you!
Absolutely beautiful tone
That's beautiful. And at the time, it must have been stunning. It sounds enough like a bassoon that it wouldn't have been totally alien, but nothing sounds quite like it. And I think it wouldn't take long for musicians and musical directors to recognize that it is a lot more practical for marching and military bands, and cheaper to manufacture than a bassoon.
What a treat! Thanks. I’ve never even seen a photo of one of these and never dreamed I’d hear one. It sounds amazing.
That sounds lovely - quite flute-like in the upper register!
That’s a lovely sound, Paul. I remember looking forward to your columns when I used to subscribe to the Saxophone Journal. The only ancient horn I have is a soprano sarrusophone by Gautrot, manufactured in the 1850s I believe. It’s a well-made instrument with a great sound. I got it because I love medieval and renaissance music, in particular the sound of the shawms, and with a reed cut more like the shawm reed I can get that kind of power with the advantage of fully chromatic keywork. It also works for middle eastern type music.
Thanks for your kind words about my Saxophone Journal Columns that were titled "Vintage Saxophones Revisited" They were a delight to write! I also love Renaissance and Medieval music, and on my upcoming saxophone quartet CD, Dances and Declamations, you can hear my adaptation of Renaissance songs and dances in my "Renaissance Book" for SATB quartet. The CD wil be released in April! Previews coming soon.
The tone !!!
Thanks! This was the tonal happenings c. 1860. Much to learn about hearing the instrument close to its original intent of the tonal sensibilities of the time, and its relationship to orchestra settings.
It's a totally different tonal concept from today's classical saxophone@@paulcohen2556
Yes, it is a sad commentary of the state of classical saxophone playing. Tremendous advances in technical playing, but musical and artistic playing, including tonal nuance and awareness, continues to rapidly recede.
Such a lovely sound. I have a 1923 Buescher TrueTone baritone, and a while back acquired an ancient Henton mouthpiece via eBay. Large chamber, rather restrictive, but the horn now sounds very close to this, almost bassoon-like. I love it...
You will be amazed at how closely related your bari sax and mouthpiece is to my Adolphe Sax bari and mouthpiece.
@@paulcohen2556 Thanks for your reply! I'm not super surprised, because over the years on SoTW I've read that some folks consider the Buescher TT to be closest to Sax's design (which is why Rascher used them in his quartet). My TT definitely has a different sound than the Yamaha 61 I played a few decades ago, even with the same Selmer E mouthpiece. As for the Henton, if you search on SoTW I posted about it way back in 2006.
Omg! Fantastic. Mellow tone. 👍 👏
Beautiful demostration!!
What a pleasant sound... so much nicer than a modern baritone..
Tbh i like modern baritone sax
But considering this was 1860 this had to be a great achievement in music
I play saxaphone too
The sound I am producing is indeed much like an 1800s baritone was designed to sound! Having the oriignal instrument and the original mouthpiece, plus an orchestral orientation to saxophone playing allows for this tone to be expressed. Modern baritones can come close and can be beautiful sounding, but does need an appropriate mouthpiece and tonal orientation.
Such a beautiful sound!
Beautiful! Like a cello.
Thanks for your kind words. Yes, when the original mouthpiece is coupled with the original bore, all saxophones can sing as elegantly as a cello or other string instrument. Today we have modern mouthpieces with similar designs adapted for more modern instruments, capable of achieving similar results.
It sounds so much like a bass clarinet with more power, which I believe is what he designed it for? A bass clarinet for playing outside while marching
Thanks for the kind words. Sax's original intent was to create a low reed woodwind for the orchestra to fill out the woodwind section sonority compared to the enriched brass and strings that were becoming more sonically enriched. At the time neither the bass clarinet or bassoons had either the flexibility or volume to provide that enrichment. The bass sax, first of Sax's saxophones, was designed to fill that gap. Playing outside and in military bands came later, and was a boon to Sax.
@@paulcohen2556 I see! Great history lesson! Thank you 🎷
Great sound! Congrats!
Thank you for this interesting video and info. Regards from Argentina.
So cool!
Sounds nice
Neat pieces of history.
Amazing. Wonder what its story if. Nice sound
Unique sound for sure. Almost sounds like it’s got something in the bell slightly.
I see a sax like this! I don't believe it's so old
Beautiful! I'm playing a 1957 Selmer Mark VI Low A with a Selmer S80 C* bari sax that sounds almost identical to this one. Most of the videos I see of bari saxes on youtube sound more jazzy and have a lot of grit and brightness. I'm sure my mouthpiece is a big part of why ours sounds so similar, but either way I love it!
Great to hear that you are getting a similar tone to that of my Adolphe Sax baritone and original mouthpiece. Yes, those early Mark VI baris sound beautiful. The design of the S80 C* is acoustically diametrically opposite to that of the original mouthpiece that I used. The difference in chamber size is huge (Selmer is much smaller), and the chamber size is a key determinant of tone color, large chamber is dark to small chamber bright. So bravo to your strong tonal imagery to make your baritone sound as in the video!
@@paulcohen2556 I have question for you! I want that tonal characteristic that I'm getting, but with the ability for more volume. I feel like I max out this mouthpiece when I need to really push some air and get more volume. During those times it gives out on me and feels like there's just nothing more it can do.
Would an S80 with a larger tip opening accomplish that? Maybe an S80 E or something like that?
@@jessekerley8625 I need to know a little more about your playing. What genre of music? What reed setup? Getting a larger tip opening is not always the best solution, as tone quality, intonation and response often degrades. Let me know more.
@@paulcohen2556 I’m playing a variety of music. On my own mostly classical, so the s80 c* is great and has plenty of volume. But I’m also playing in the local city band, which is where I’m maxing it out and need more volume. It’s a variety of music, but lots of faster stuff and quite a bit of more patriotic music.
Love it!
Would you say the horn or the mouthpiece is impacting the timbre more? This near-ancient setup produces one of the most accurate classical saxophone sounds I’ve ever heard and I’m curious to hear your input. Thank you for reading.
Thanks for your provocative question. Most will not appreciate my answer. The mouthpiece is more than 85-90% responsible of the tone of the instrument, compared to the bore of this 1860s sax with more modern baritones. Now, before the mouthpiece and instrumental dimensions can have their effect, the tonal concept of the player, plus a true understanding of tone production that is independent of the materials used, has to come first and be clearly established. Then the mouthpiece and horn can have a truer sound to their original intent. So, as an example, if I were to play the original mouthpiece on one of my wonderful modern baris (Mark VI, Yanagisawa, etc) you would hear much the same sound as on the 1860s Adolphe Sax. To be clear; not identical, and the difference would be apparent to the discriminating listener, but far closer than most saxophonists would expect.
It somehow make my feel like I'm falling into the comfiest, softest bed in the world.
Extra comment - I note on really old baris like the one you're playing that the tubing loop is on the player's right. I'm wondering if this got changed to a left loop to make it easier to read sheet music...
Wonderful playing! I wonder what is the key of this bari😊
The key of this baritone is Eb, and the tuning is workable with modern pitch. Soon I will be posting performances of original 19th century sax quartets played on all four of my Adolphe Sax saxes.
@@paulcohen2556 I think at the time of Sax,the baritone isn’t in the key of F,just like the original score from sinfonia domestica
@@AlexanderShiu Not exactly. The original saxes were mostly in Eb and Bb, as they were used in all of the French Military bands at the time. So, my baritone is in Eb. Also, the Strauss "Sinfonia Domestica" is from 1904. The saxophone was created in the 1840s with many pieces written at the time for Eb baritone.
@@paulcohen2556 thanks for explaining
Beeindruckend 👍🏽
The mouthpiece and horn have a very sublime sound together. So many modern baris have an almost nasal, whining sound to my ear. This horn avoids it and is very pleasing.
Thanks for the kind words. Another essential component is the player's concept or image of tone that he wants to sound from the instrument. The instrument, mouthpiece and concept work well together with this bari.
this sounds wonderful...but i NEED low a...
Wow💚💚💗💗💗💗💗
Can you play some Charles Mingus on it? Sounds beautiful
Yo tengo uno parecido .. para el museo buenaso.. vintage
0:14
Queria mandar uma foto do meu sax barítono
Eu tenho um barítono idade (couesnon n* 3405 raridade antes do ano de 1910
que marca de boquilla es
It is the original (wood) mouthpiece, from the 1860s, by Adolphe Sax
are you the professor at columbia university? i just applied there!
Yes, I am the saxophone teacher at Columbia. You can study with me at Columbia and take part in the Manhattan School of Music saxophone orchestra and other groups. Email me with questions. Paulcohen.saxo@gmail.com
Sound kinda like a bassoon bass clarinet hybrid
This is a high compliment! Thanks!
That instrument looks cool, but when I see an actual bari sax, it is gold and brassy and looks more modern
That is an "actual" bari sax. It's just an older, "vintage" bari, one could say.
@@TrashCanBoiBoi oh that’s cool
It's silver plated - most saxes now are lacquered brass, but there are a few silver plated ones still made, and a lot more were made back then.
I have a Buescher baritone that's around 109 years old now, and is silver plated like this one. I have a couple of altos (including a lovely silver plated Hawkes & Sons 'Double Century' from the 1930's), a tenor (just a cheapo 1970's East German one, but it suits me), and the bari, and out of all of them the baritone is the most satisfying to play - you can feel the notes through your body!
There used to be an Adolphe Sax alto floating around my home town. I tried it once, but pretty though it was, it was a bit of a dog, and having two octave keys was just too confusing for me.
How many saxophones do you currently have total?
I've lost track as the numbers keep changing, but it is around 250 these days.
@@paulcohen2556 Wow. Jealous, but very happy for you.
Don't be jealous! Come visit my museum in the NYC area and try it yourself!
Next time I come to New York, I’d absolutely love to meet you and check out some of your saxophones. I also have some nice rarities in my collection and I’m fascinated with every aspect of saxophones, including repairing them et cetera. I used to read your magazine supplements. do you have a G mezzo soprano from my friend in Denmark in your collection?
Best wishes
Wow. For some reason I didn't think it would sound good.
It does look that way, doesn’t it?
But these were the top professional instruments of their time, played by pros who were aware of the tonal expectations of their time for orchestra and wind playing. Not knowing the limitations compared to future models, they could play the instruments to their full, and beautiful, potential.
It's almost bassoon-like, that's really wild
A high compliment! Thanks!
Rodriguez Betty Thompson Charles Davis Kevin
サックスが作ったサックスかなぁ。
Yes, this is a saxophone made by the Adolphe Sax company while Adolphe Sax was still in charge and running the company.