Contrabass Saxophone: Two-Metre Giant of the Sax Family

Overview

The contrabass saxophone is the second-lowest-pitched extant member of the saxophone family proper. It is pitched in E-flat, one octave below the baritone saxophone, which requires twice the length of tubing and twice the bore width. The result is a very large and heavy instrument, standing approximately two metres tall and weighing around 20 kilograms (44 lb). Despite its bulk, it was used in marching bands in the early twentieth century (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrabass_saxophone). The contrabass in E-flat sounds two octaves and a major sixth below the written pitch, and all current production models extend from low A up to high F-sharp.

Origin and history

The contrabass saxophone was part of the original saxophone family as conceived by Adolphe Sax, and is included in his saxophone patent of 1846 as well as in Kastner’s concurrently published Méthode for saxophone. By 1849 Sax was displaying saxophones from the contrabass up to the sopranino at exhibitions. Patrick Gilmore‘s famous American band roster included a contrabass saxophone in 1892, and at least two dozen instruments were built by the Evette & Schaeffer (Buffet Crampon) company for US military bands in the early twentieth century. Despite their size, players carried them on the march using a strap. Saxophone ensembles were also popular at the time, and the contrabass was an eye-catching novelty for groups that could afford one. With the onset of the Great Depression the saxophone craze ended, and the contrabass — already rare — almost disappeared from public view (https://www.metmuseum.org/blogs/of-note/2015/contrabass-saxophone).

In the early 2000s the bass and contrabass saxophones experienced a renewed wave of interest, particularly in large saxophone ensembles and community-based traditions. In Brazil, ethnomusicologists have documented the sustained use of low-register saxophones — including contrabass and subcontrabass instruments — in large church orchestras associated with Pentecostal denominations such as the Christian Congregation in Brazil, where they reinforce baritone or bass parts at lower octaves to support large congregational ensembles.

Construction and materials

The saxophones in Sax’s 1846 patent are folded a maximum of three times, which forces the larger saxophones (from the baritone downwards) to be progressively taller. The contrabass follows this pattern, bending upward at the mouthpiece neck, then 180 degrees at the top, and 180 degrees again at the base so that the bell finally points upward and outward. With a tubing length of nearly 16 feet (about 5 metres), the assembled instrument stands roughly two metres tall.

The tubax, developed by German maker Benedikt Eppelsheim in the late 1990s, is a modern solution to this unwieldiness; it adds a fourth bend (similar to the layout of a contrabass sarrusophone) so that an E-flat tubax covers the same range as the contrabass saxophone but stands only about 114 cm tall, comparable to a baritone (https://bassic-sax.info/version5/modern-saxes/benedikt-eppelsheim/eb-tubax/). Brazilian saxophone makers have also designed compact contrabasses for use in churches, such as J’Élle Stainer’s Stainerfone (https://www.jellestainer.com/product-page/stainerfone-low-a). Although still rare and expensive, at least two manufacturers — Benedikt Eppelsheim in Germany and J’Élle Stainer in Brazil — still produce contrabass saxophones today, alongside historical instruments by Evette & Schaeffer (c. 1900-1930) and Orsi (c. 1990-2010), the latter represented in our header image (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Orsi_Contrabass_Saxophone_(1999).jpg).

Playing technique

The contrabass uses the same single-reed embouchure and Boehm-derived fingering system as the rest of the saxophone family, so a player who already plays baritone or bass can transfer the basic skills relatively directly. The much larger mouthpiece and reed, however, demand enormous air capacity and very controlled support; sustained passages in the low register can be physically demanding. The instrument’s weight makes a floor peg or a custom stand effectively essential, although early-twentieth-century military musicians demonstrated that it could be played while marching with the help of a heavy strap.

Cultural context

Due to its large body and wide bore, the contrabass saxophone has great acoustical presence and a very rich tone. It can be smooth and mellow or harsh and buzzy depending on the player and on the mouthpiece-and-reed combination used; its middle and upper registers are warm, full and expressive. Because its deepest tones vibrate so slowly — as with the contrabassoon or pedal notes on a pipe organ — listeners may struggle to perceive individual pitches at the very bottom of its range, hearing instead a series of rattling tones with little pitch definition. When those tones are reinforced by another instrument an octave or a fifteenth above, however, they become clearly defined and gain tremendous resonance. In some contemporary jazz and classical ensembles the contrabass saxophone doubles the baritone saxophone either at unison or an octave below, depending on the register of the music.

Notable players and examples

While there are few orchestral works that call specifically for the contrabass saxophone, the growing number of dedicated players has led to a steadily expanding body of solo and chamber music literature. The instrument is particularly effective as a foundation for large saxophone ensembles. The eminent saxophonist Sigurd Raschèr (1907-2001) played the contrabass in his Raschèr Saxophone Ensemble, and the instrument is featured on most of the albums by the Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra. Spanish composer Luis de Pablo wrote Une Couleur in 1988 for a single performer playing six saxophones, including the contrabass.

Comparison with related instruments

Compared with the contrabassoon the contrabass saxophone covers a broadly similar register but with a single-reed conical-bore timbre rather than a double-reed sound. Compared with the contrabass sarrusophone, it is single-reed rather than double-reed but built on a similar scale. The tubax effectively provides the same compass in a much more portable layout.

FAQ

How tall is a contrabass saxophone?
About two metres (roughly 6 ft 7 in) when assembled, with a tubing length of close to 16 feet folded into the body.

How many manufacturers make contrabass saxophones today?
At least two: Benedikt Eppelsheim in Germany and J’Élle Stainer in Brazil. Historically, Evette & Schaeffer (c. 1900-1930) and Orsi (c. 1990-2010) also produced them.

Was the contrabass saxophone really used in marching bands?
Yes. At least two dozen were built by Evette & Schaeffer for US military bands in the early twentieth century, and players did march with them using a heavy strap.

What is the difference between a contrabass saxophone and a tubax?
The tubax, developed by Benedikt Eppelsheim in the late 1990s, has the same E-flat range as the contrabass saxophone but is folded with an extra bend to stand only about 114 cm tall, making it far more practical to transport and play.

Why is it hard to hear pitches in the lowest register?
The lowest notes of the contrabass saxophone vibrate so slowly that the human ear struggles to perceive them as discrete pitches in isolation; the same effect is heard on the contrabassoon and on pedal notes of a pipe organ. Doubling those tones an octave or two octaves higher restores their pitch clarity.