The sopranino saxophone is one of the smallest members of the saxophone

Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

 family. A sopranino saxophone is tuned in the key of E, and sounds an octave

Octave

In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...

 above the alto saxophone

Alto saxophone

The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...

. This saxophone has a sweet sound and although the sopranino is one of the least common of the saxophones in regular use today, it is still being produced by several of the major musical manufacturing companies. Due to their small size, sopraninos are not usually curved like other saxes. Orsi, however, does make curved sopranino saxophones.

The original patented saxophone family, as developed by Adolphe Sax

Adolphe Sax

Antoine-Joseph "Adolphe" Sax was a Belgian musical instrument designer and musician who played the flute and clarinet, and is best known for having invented the saxophone.-Biography:...

, included sopranino, soprano

Soprano saxophone

The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...

, alto

Alto saxophone

The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...

, tenor

Tenor saxophone

The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...

, baritone

Baritone saxophone

The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...

, bass

Bass saxophone

The bass saxophone is the second largest member of the saxophone family. Its design is similar to that of the baritone saxophone, with a loop of tubing near the mouthpiece. It was the first type of saxophone presented to the public, when Adolphe Sax exhibited a bass saxophone in C at an exhibition...

, contrabass

Contrabass saxophone

The contrabass saxophone is the lowest-pitched extant member of the saxophone family proper. It is extremely large and heavy , and is pitched in the key of E, one octave below the baritone.-History:The contrabass...

, and subcontrabass

Subcontrabass saxophone

The subcontrabass saxophone is a type of saxophone that Adolphe Sax patented and planned to build but never constructed. Sax called this imagined instrument saxophone bourdon...

 instruments (although he never built the latter). Since the late 20th century, however, a B piccolo, or sopranissimo

Sopranissimo

Sopranissimo is a musical term used to describe pitches higher than soprano.One example in common usage is the sopranissimo saxophone in B♭. This instrument is pitched an octave above the normal soprano saxophone, and is currently manufactured under the Soprillo brand name....

 saxophone (called soprillo

Soprillo

The sopranissimo or soprillo saxophone is the smallest member of the saxophone family. It is pitched in B, one octave above the soprano saxophone. Because of the difficulties in building such a small instrument—the soprillo is 12 inches long, 13 inches with the mouthpiece—it is only...

, and tuned a fifth above the sopranino) and a B subcontrabass instrument (called tubax

Tubax

The tubax is a modified saxophone developed in 1999 by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim. It is available in both E contrabass and B or C subcontrabass sizes...

, also made in C) have been developed by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim

Benedikt Eppelsheim

Benedikt Eppelsheim is a world-renowned German maker of high- and low-voiced saxophones, the soprillo and tubax , which are available exclusively from him...

, although they are, technically, not true saxophones. Thus, the E sopranino, originally the smallest size of saxophone, can now be considered the second smallest.

The most notable use of the sopranino is in the orchestral work Boléro

Boléro

Boléro is a one-movement orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel . Originally composed as a ballet commissioned by Russian ballerina Ida Rubinstein, the piece, which premiered in 1928, is Ravel's most famous musical composition....

by Maurice Ravel

Maurice Ravel

Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...

. Although Ravel calls for a sopranino saxophone in F, this member of the 'concert' family of saxophones never gained popularity and is no longer in existence. Outside of classical music, notable jazz and improvising musicians using this instrument include Carla Marciano, James Carter

James Carter (musician)

James Carter is an American jazz musician.Carter was born in Detroit, Michigan and learned to play there before moving to New York City. He has been prominent as a performer and recording artist on the jazz scene since the mid-1990s, playing saxophones, flute, and bass clarinet...

, Anthony Braxton

Anthony Braxton

Anthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...

, La Monte Young

La Monte Young

La Monte Thornton Young is an American avant-garde composer, musician, and artist.Young is generally recognized as the first minimalist composer. His works have been included among the most important and radical post-World War II avant-garde, experimental, and contemporary music. Young is...

, Roscoe Mitchell

Roscoe Mitchell

Roscoe Mitchell is an African American composer, jazz instrumentalist and educator, mostly known for being "a technically superb—if idiosyncratic—saxophonist." He has been called "one of the key figures" in avant-garde jazz who has been "at the forefront of modern music" for the past...

, Joseph Jarman

Joseph Jarman

Joseph Jarman , is a jazz musician, composer and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He is perhaps best known as one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Early life:Jarman grew up in Chicago, Illinois...

, Paul McCandless

Paul McCandless

Paul McCandless, Jr. is an American jazz woodwind player and composer. He is one of few expert jazz oboists, and also plays English horn, soprano saxophone, sopranino saxophone, bass clarinet, clarinet, and pennywhistle, among other instruments.He has performed with the Paul Winter Consort and is...

, Lol Coxhill

Lol Coxhill

Lowen Coxhill, generally known as Lol Coxhill is a free improvising saxophonist and raconteur...

, Roger Frampton

Roger Frampton

Roger Frampton was an Australian jazz pianist, saxophonist, composer, and educator. Based in Sydney, he played a major role in shaping the evolution of Australian jazz...

, Hans Koller, Wolfgang Fuchs, Douglas Ewart

Douglas Ewart

Douglas R. Ewart is a multi-instrumentalist and instrument builder. He plays sopranino and alto saxophones, clarinets, bassoon, flute, bamboo flutes , and didgeridoo; as well as Rastafarian hand drums .Ewart emigrated to the United States in June 1963 and became...

, Larry Ochs

Larry Ochs (musician)

Larry Ochs is an American jazz saxophonist and composer.Ochs studied trumpet briefly but concentrated on tenor and sopranino saxophones. He worked as a record producer and founded his own label, Metalanguage Records, in 1978, in addition to operating the Twelve Stars studio in California...

, Vinny Golia

Vinny Golia

Vinny Golia is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist specializing in woodwind instruments. He performs in the genres of contemporary music, jazz, free jazz, and free improvisation....

, Thomas Chapin

Thomas Chapin

Thomas Chapin was an American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist. Though primarily an alto saxophonist, he also played sopranino saxophone and various flutes....

, Martin Archer, and Ian Anderson

Ian Anderson (musician)

Ian Scott Anderson, MBE is a Scottish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as the leader and flautist of British rock band Jethro Tull.-Early life:...

. The sopranino saxophone is also used in the six-member Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra

Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra

The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra were a group of six American saxophonists who played as a saxophone ensemble in recordings and live performance. They were based in Santa Cruz, California. The group was notable for its contrabass saxophone, which is 203 centimetres tall with a...

, currently played by Kelley Hart Jenkins.


Being the highest representative of the original saxophone family, the sopranino sax is notable for its juicy and expressional sound reminding the sonority of the mini clarinet, but, unlike the latter, the sopranino sax has nevertheless a more tender tone of sounding that is free from any sharpness inherent in the sounding of the mini clarinet.