Baritone Saxophone: Lowest Voice of the Sax Family in Common Use

Overview

The baritone saxophone, commonly abbreviated to “bari sax”, is a member of the saxophone family of instruments. It is larger and lower-pitched than the tenor saxophone, but smaller and higher-pitched than the bass saxophone. The baritone is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use; the bass, contrabass and subcontrabass saxophones are all relatively rare. Like all saxophones, it is a single-reed conical-bore woodwind. It is commonly used in concert bands, chamber music, military bands, big bands and jazz combos, and can also be found in rock bands and marching bands. Modern baritone saxophones are pitched in E-flat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baritone_saxophone).

The instrument is a transposing instrument: the baritone in E-flat sounds an octave and a major sixth lower than written. Most modern instruments include a key for low A (sounding C2), and some include a high F-sharp key (sounding A).

Origin and history

The baritone saxophone was created in 1846 by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax as one of a family of fourteen instruments. Sax believed his new family would provide a useful tonal link between the woodwinds and brasses. The family was divided into two groups of seven saxophones each, running from soprano down to contrabass. Although Sax’s designs included an F baritone saxophone within the C-and-F orchestral group, no F baritones are known to have survived (https://bandestration.com/2014/12/07/saxophones-in-f-and-c/). The B-flat-and-E-flat group ultimately proved more successful because of its popularity in military bands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone).

All saxophones were originally keyed only down to low B, but a low B-flat mechanism was patented in 1887, and by 1910 it had become standard on most saxophones, including baritones. The further extension to low A — sounding concert C2 — became increasingly common during the twentieth century, particularly on instruments built for big-band and concert-band use, and is the configuration shown in the Amati Kraslice instrument featured here (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Baritone_Saxophone_Amati.png).

Construction and materials

Like the rest of the saxophone family, the baritone is built almost entirely of brass and finished in lacquer, silver or gold plating. Its much greater length is accommodated by an extra loop in the upper part of the body just below the mouthpiece (the “neck”) and a longer bow at the bottom. This double curve gives the bari sax its characteristic outline, recognizable even at a distance. The single-reed mouthpiece is markedly larger than that of the tenor, and the bell is wide enough to make low-A baritones a substantial instrument both visually and physically — most players use a harness or floor peg rather than a single neck strap.

The Amati Kraslice instrument shown above is a standard professional E-flat baritone with a low-A extension (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Baritone_Saxophone_Amati.png).

Playing technique

The baritone uses the same basic single-reed embouchure and Boehm-derived fingering system as the rest of the saxophone family, so a player familiar with the alto or tenor can transfer relatively easily. The much larger mouthpiece and reed, however, demand greater air volume and stamina, and the longer body produces a slower response in the lowest register. Modern instruments routinely cover a written compass from low A (or B-flat) up to high F or F-sharp, with altissimo techniques extending the upper limit further in jazz and contemporary repertoire.

Cultural context

The baritone saxophone occupies the bass end of the saxophone choir in concert bands, military bands and saxophone quartets, where it provides the harmonic foundation that the bass saxophone supplies in some larger ensembles. In jazz it is a standard member of big-band instrumentation, holding down the lowest line in the saxophone section beneath two altos and two tenors.

In classical orchestral music it is called for occasionally rather than routinely. Examples include Richard Strauss‘s Sinfonia Domestica (which actually specifies a baritone saxophone in F), Béla Bartók‘s ballet The Wooden Prince, Charles Ives‘s Symphony No. 4 (composed 1910-1916), and George Gershwin‘s Rhapsody in Blue (in Ferde Grofé‘s orchestration) and An American in Paris. Krzysztof Penderecki calls for two baritone saxes in his opera The Devils of Loudun, and Karlheinz Stockhausen includes one in Gruppen.

Notable players

A number of jazz performers have made the baritone their primary instrument. As Alain Cupper of JazzBariSax.com puts it, “Used a few times in contemporary classical music…it is especially in jazz that this wonderful instrument feels most comfortable” (http://jazzbarisax.com/articles/about-the-baritone-sax/). One of the instrument’s pioneers was Harry Carney, longtime baritone saxophonist with the Duke Ellington band. Other major bari soloists include Gerry Mulligan, Cecil Payne, Sahib Shihab, Pepper Adams, Serge Chaloff, Leo Parker and the free-jazz player Peter Brötzmann. Scottish player Joe Temperley appeared with Humphrey Lyttelton and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. More recent notable performers include Hamiet Bluiett, John Surman and Scott Robinson.

Comparison with related instruments

Compared with the trombone the baritone covers a similar range with a darker, woodier timbre; compared with the tuba it is much more agile but with less power and depth in the lowest register. Within the saxophone family, it is exactly one octave below the alto, which makes it a natural bass partner to two altos and two tenors in big-band scoring.

FAQ

Why is the baritone saxophone in E-flat rather than B-flat?
Sax’s military-band group of seven instruments alternates between E-flat and B-flat tunings. The baritone is the E-flat instrument that sits an octave below the E-flat alto, just as the bass saxophone is the B-flat instrument an octave below the tenor.

Do all baritone saxophones go down to low A?
No. The original mechanism reached only low B, and a low B-flat mechanism was patented in 1887 and standardized by around 1910. The further low-A extension (sounding concert C2) became common during the twentieth century but is not universal; some classical models still stop at low B-flat.

Is the baritone saxophone hard to carry?
It is significantly larger and heavier than the tenor or alto. Most professional players use a harness or a floor peg rather than a single neck strap, and many gig with a wheeled hard case for transport.

What kinds of ensembles use the baritone saxophone?
Concert bands, military bands, saxophone quartets, big bands and jazz combos all use it routinely. It also appears occasionally in rock bands, marching bands and orchestral works.

Who is considered the founding figure of jazz baritone saxophone?
Harry Carney, who held the baritone chair in Duke Ellington’s orchestra for nearly five decades, is widely regarded as the player who established the bari sax as a legitimate solo voice in jazz.