{"id":61796,"date":"2019-08-07T10:33:34","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T14:33:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=61796"},"modified":"2019-08-07T10:33:34","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T14:33:34","slug":"classical-101-why-is-there-no-saxophone-in-the-orchestra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2019\/08\/07\/classical-101-why-is-there-no-saxophone-in-the-orchestra\/","title":{"rendered":"CLASSICAL 101 | Why Is There No Saxophone In The Orchestra?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The answer may surprise you.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"With
With so many standard instruments orchestra, where is the saxophone? (Photo: United States Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whether it be a crushing bebop track a la Charlie Parker, or the super chill bossa nova of Stan Getz, there is no shortage of love for the saxophone.\u00a0 Love it or hate it, Kenny G is still one of the best-selling artists of all time\u00a0 \u2014 sandwiched between Shakira and Tupac Shakur, and the American cartoon icon, Lisa Simpson, whose dream it was to become a saxophonist.<\/p>\n

Ranging from sopranino to contrabass, the family of saxophones curates one of the widest sound ranges available acoustically.\u00a0 Being relatively easy for beginner musicians, the saxophone is popular for both learning and listening.\u00a0 However, we rarely see it in orchestra concerts. Why?<\/p>\n

Many believe that the saxophone’s timbre is hard to blend, out-of-tune, and simply too loud.\u00a0 But the real screaming stick of the orchestra is the piccolo; despite its piercing nature and tuning challenges, it has been considered integral since Beethoven\u2019s time (Egmont Overture<\/em>, Symphonies 5, 6 and 9).<\/p>\n

A single tuba or trombone can play over the entire orchestra in solo sections \u2014 yet an orchestra will feature at least a few low brass players (even Papa Haydn includes three trombones in the Creation<\/em>). The modern timpani have so many issues regarding tuning, yet it is inconceivable to imagine an orchestral concert without the timpani. So why were the saxes singled out?<\/p>\n

\u201cSure, the saxophone has a reputation of being loud and out of tune, but since the saxophone was accepted as a Classical instrument to study at the Paris Conservatory (we have Marcel Mule to thank for this), composers have included it in the orchestra,\u201d says\u00a0Toronto-based virtuoso saxophonist\u00a0Wallace Halladay<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cIt is very versatile: its entire range can be played at any dynamic, and \u2014 in the hands of a good player \u2014 in tune.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite its rarity, quite a few big-name composers who have included the saxophone in their orchestral writing. Examples include Ravel\u2019s Bolero with both soprano and tenor, and Rachmaninoff\u2019s Symphonic Dances\u2019 lovely alto sax solo. Alban Berg chose the saxophone to \u2018shadow\u2019 Lulu in the opera (and Suite version for Orchestra and Soprano), and includes an alto sax part in his Violin Concerto- particularly interesting to note, as Berg\u2019s mastery of orchestration is truly sublime in its blending and colours. The list continues: Mussorgsky\u00a0Pictures at an Exhibition: The Old Castle\u00a0(orchestrated by Ravel), Milhaud\u2019s La Creation du Monde, Prokofiev\u2019s Lieutenant Kij\u00e9 and Romeo and Juliet.\u00a0 Puccini even uses alto saxophones specifically to keep the girls\u2019 chorus in pitch in Turandot<\/em> (Act II: Dal deserto al mar<\/em>, and Tre enigma m\u2019hai proposto<\/em>), though most of us would\u2019ve had no clue until now, as both the chorus and saxes are offstage \u2014 surely demonstrating the saxophone’s ability to blend almost invisibly, even with the human voice. Additionally, musicians themselves always strive to be \u2018better,\u2019 with technical practice to override each instrument\u2019s innate limitations and faults \u2014 so what really happened?<\/p>\n