Carpets

The Contra Bass Sarrusophone-
(A not so brief history)

The sarrusophone belongs to a family of transposing musical instruments patented and placed into production by Pierre-Louis Gautrot in 1856. It was named after the French bandmaster Pierre-Auguste Sarrus (1813-1876) who is credited with the concept of the instrument (it is not clear if Sarrus benefited financially from this association) and its intended use was to serve as a replacement for the oboe and bassoon in bands, the tones of which lack the carrying power needed for the outdoor band music of that era.

The Rise and Fall of the Sarrusophone

Around 1840, Adolphe Sax expanded on the idea of the clarinet by inventing the saxophone. It is also a single reed instrument, but it has a metal body instead of a wooden one.

Some 15 years later, in 1856, Pierre-Louis Gautrot patented and began producing an instrument called the sarrusophone. This instrument featured a double reed mouthpiece attached to a metal body. It was a valid concept and at the right time, so it was reasonable to expect that the sarrusophone would become a popular and important instrument. However there are many factors that can influence the popularity of any musical instrument. Over the years, for example, many charming instruments have fallen into disuse and virtual extinction while others have experienced long popular histories. Certainly the quality of sound produced; it's niche in the Orchestra or band where it fits; and its technical ease of use are major factors

One event that may have played an important role in preventing the sarrusophone from becoming more popular was a law suit by Adolphe Sax against Pierre-Louis Gautrot for patent infringement. The sarrusophone does resemble the saxophone in many ways. It even employs similar fingering. But the sound is very different, and Sax eventually lost the lawsuit. Even though Gautrot prevailed in a legal sense, the lawsuit no doubt damaged the future prospects of the sarrusophone.

The somewhat harsh tone quality of the sarrusophone and the need for a double reed may also have contributed to it not becoming a standard member of the wind band.

During the 19th century and into the 20th there were sporadic attempts by Sax, Buffet, Besson and others to build a successful contrabass clarinet in either Eb or Bb. In the early 1930s, upon the suggestion of the American Bandmaster's Association, the French firm Selmer succeeded when they introduced their Eb contrabass model (the popular Eb and Bb contrabass models by the French firm LeBlanc not being placed into production until the late 1940s, although invented earlier). It can be conjectured that the compactness and musical qualities of these instruments may have contributed to the non-use of the sarrusophone,

It was originally hoped that oboes and bassoons could be replaced by corresponding sizes of sarrusophones in outdoor band music. This didn't work out because it was difficult for sarrusophone players to match the ranges of oboes and bassoons. The contrabass sarrusophone did enjoy some temporary success as a replacement for the contrabass bassoon. Eventually, however, the contrabass clarinet was invented which served as an even more effective replacement.

The sarrusophone is a vivid example of a good idea that just didn't work out. In recent days, there has been a limited revival of interest in the sarrusophone, primarily through the efforts of Grant Green and the Contrabass Society... but it remains mostly unknown to most people.

The Beast

The initial patent was taken on the instrument by P. L. Garutrot, Sr. (Subsequently Couesnon) in 1856 who then started manufacturing the instrument in eight sizes with the following theoretical ranges:

    * E-flat Sopranino Bb-G (Sounding Db-Bb)
    * B-flat Soprano Bb-G (Sounding Ab-F)
    * E-flat Alto Bb-G (Sounding Db-Bb)
    * B-flat Tenor Bb-G (Sounding Ab-F)
    * E-flat Baritone Bb-G (Sounding Db-Bb)
    * B-flat Bass BÅÛ-G (Sounding Ab-F)
    * EE-flat Contrabass Bb-G (Sound Db-Bb)
    * CC Contrabass Bb-G (Sound at pitch Bb-G)
    * BB-flat Contrabass Bb-G (Sounding Ab-F)

The non-transposed range of the sarrusophone is nearly identical to that of the saxophone. The traditional conventional range of the saxophone is written Bb-F. Initially, Gautrot advertised the range of the sarrusophone to high F as well, but later fingering charts indicated a range to high G. Sometime after 1868, Gautrot also released a fingering chart indicating fingerings higher still up to a top B-flat, giving a range of three full octaves.

The contrabass sarrusophone sounds much like a cross between a baritone sax and a contrabassoon. The middle register has a more "singing" quality (like the upper register of a bari or bass sax). It is capable of being played more loudly than the contrabassoon. The contrabass comes in at least two different bore styles, with correspondingly different timbres. The "big pipe" sarrusophone has a rounder, more tuba-like sound, while the "small pipe" sarrusophone has a much brighter, reedier, cutting tone. Where the saxophone has a euphonium or baritone-like sound, the sarrusophone has more of a trombone timbre.

The contrabass sarrusophone has a practical (useable) range that parallels the saxophone, from written low Bb (below middle C) to high F (above the treble staff). With the Eb contrabass, this corresponds to DDb (the lowest Db on the piano) to the Ab above middle C. The sarrusophone range actually extends up to at least the written A above the saxophone's high F, although the ease of obtaining these notes may vary from horn to horn. The C contrabass sounds three octaves lower than written, and the Bb contrabass sounds a step lower than the C contrabass (an octave below the Bb bass saxophone). The notes above written high C are "altissimo", obtained by fingering A (and higher notes) using the lower octave key. The Bb bass sarrusophone has the same written range (to low Bb, up to altissimo G or A), and sounds the same range as the bass saxophone (down to concert Ab below the bass staff).

Construction

All members of the sarrusophone family are made of metal (usually brass), with a conical bore, with the larger members of the family resembling the ophicleide in shape. Like the oboe and bassoon, all sizes of sarrusophone were originally designed to be played with a double reed. Later, single reed mouthpieces were developed by Conn for the Eb contrabass which resembled alto or soprano saxophone mouthpieces.

The fingering of the Eb Contrabass sarrusophone is nearly identical as that of the Bari saxophone. This similarity caused Adolphe Sax to file and lose at least one lawsuit against Gautrot, claiming infringement upon his patent for the saxophone. Sax lost on the grounds that the tone produced by the two families of instruments are markedly different, despite their mechanical similarities. However, because the sarrusophone never reached wide acceptance, makers were not inclined to develop its mechanism to the same extent as that of the saxophone.

The Sarrusophone in classical music

The sarrusophone is rarely called for in orchestral music. However, around the turn of the 20th century, the contrabass sarrusophones in EE and CC enjoyed a vogue, the latter as a substitute for the contrabassoon, (the French model patterned after the German Heckel model, having been introduced later around 1906 by Buffet et al.) so that it is called for in, for example, Maurice Ravel's Schéhérazade overture (1898), Rapsodie espagnole (1907) and L'heure espagnole (1907-09), and Arrigo Boito's Nerone (1924). Igor Stravinsky included a part for contrabass sarrusophone in Threni. The composer Paul Dukas used the contrabass sarrusophone to great effect in 1890 in his The Sorcerer's Apprentice, where the instrument begins the bassoon's macabre dance motif (familiar to all who recall Disney's animated film Fantasia). These parts are nowadays all played on the contrabassoon. In general when the term "sarrusophone" is used, it usually refers to the EE contrabass which appears to have been made in larger numbers than any other size. It should be pointed out that although the CC contrabass was perhaps envisioned for these and other orchestral works, few instruments were made and those that did exist, were most likely the property of the orchestras that they were made for. The CC contrabass has a range that is identical to the contrabassoon, while the EE contrabass, while having the same written range as the CC, due to its key, lacks the lowest 3 notes of the contrabassoon's range (C, B, Bb).

In 1908 when Sir Thomas Beecham wished to perform the work "Apollo and the Seaman" by the British composer Josef Holbrooke (who had included parts for several sizes of sarrusophones), the sarrusophone parts had to be played by performers brought over from France. Paderewski included three Eb contrabass sarrusophones in his Symphony in B Minor ("Polonia").

The Sarrusophone in Band Music

In the concert band literature, Percy Grainger used the EEb contrabass in the original scoring of his children's march "Over the Hills and Far Away". In early 20th century Italian band scores, parts for the B tenor, Eb baritone, and Bb bass sarrusophones as well as the contrabass are common. It appears that higher members of the sarrusophone family were not as popular as the lower members, with the sopranino in Eb along with its distant cousin, the high Eb oboe, being particularly rare.

For the most part, the use of the sarrusophone was primarily in France, Italy and Spain. During or after World War I, US Military personnel noted the use of the contrabass sarrusophone in French military bands and thereafter, commissioned the U.S. firm Conn to manufacture the EEb contrabass for use in U.S. military bands beginning in approximately 1921, as per Conn's advertising of the time. The initial order was for 148 instruments. The instrument was offered for sale to the general public as well, but production appears to have ceased by the early 1930s. Conn's as late as 1936 are known to exist.

Beginning in 1921, the John Philip Sousa band used the Conn sarrusophone for an unknown period of time. In Germany, the instrument was practically unknown (although, curiously, Heckel stated in its 1930 catalog that sarrusophones could be made on demand), and in England, there may have been limited use of the instrument, but it never caught on there.

The Sarrusophone in Jazz

A very unusual example of the sarrusophone in jazz is on the 1924 recording by the Clarence Williams Blue 5 of "Mandy, Make Up Your Mind," with the sarrusophone played by the jazz soprano saxophone and clarinet virtuoso Sidney Bechet. One can conjecture that the sarrusophone played was most likely a contrabass with a single reed mouthpiece, as Bechet was not a trained double reed player. It is interesting to note that Bechet later denied having ever played the sarrusophone!

In the 1970s and 1980s the late American jazz musician Gerald Oshita (based in Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area and associated with Roscoe Mitchell) played avant-garde jazz on an EEb contrabass manufactured by Conn. More recently (1990-2006), recordings using sarrusophone have been released by saxophonists Scott Robinson, Lenny Pickett, James Carter, and Paul Winter.

The Latest on Sarrusophones

The sarrusophone is now essentially obsolete and only used as a novelty upon occasions. However, there may be a limited resurgence of interest in the instrument from time to time and there are amateur players (mostly the EEb contrabass) now in several regional concert bands in the United States. Grant D. Green, founder of the Contrabass List has championed a re-awakening in interest in the sarrusophone and other Contra Bass instruments

The bass and contrabass sarrusophones provides interesting additions to any ensemble, and an effective substitute to the even rarer contrabass saxophone or the sometimes overly quiet contrabassoon. Its tone combines well with low brass (especially Tuba and bass trombone), providing an edge that may otherwise be lacking. It makes an excellent addition to the foundation of a saxophone ensemble (either alone or appearing within a larger group), and can make up for an otherwise weak lower woodwind section. It can be written in unison with the tuba, contrabass clarinet, and bass sax, and may effectively double the bari sax an octave lower. As mentioned above, the bass sarrusophone blends well with the bass trombone, particularly in the middle and low registers. It is unlikely that you will have more than one sarrusophone at your compositional disposal. However, if you are writing for a local concentration of fanatics, you may want to try combinations of contrabass (Eb, C, or Bb) with Bb bass and/or Eb baritone.

New sarrusophones can still be bought by request from the Orsi Instrument Company, in Italy. Historically, the only makers that produced in quantity were: Orsi, Rampone (later Rampone & Cazzani), Buffet (under the ownership of Evette & Schaeffer), Conn (Eb contrabass only); and Gautrot and Couesnon (Gautrot's successor).

Acknowlegements:

Most of the above has been liberally plagerized (with permision) from writings on the Sarrusophone by Grant D. Green - founder of the Contrabass Society, and from Wikipedia, Oddwinds and other bits and pieces of information I could find on this obscure but fascinating instrument. Suggested links include:
<http://www.contrabass.com/pages/orch-cbsr.html>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrabass_sarrusophone>
<http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/om24000.html>
<http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/sarrus/>