The 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....

or soprillo saxophone is the smallest member of the saxophone family. It is pitched in B, one octave above the soprano saxophone

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...

. Because of the difficulties in building such a small instrument—the soprillo is 12 inches long, 13 inches with the mouthpiece—it is only recently that a true sopranissimo saxophone been produced. The keywork only extends to a written high E (rather than F like most saxophones) and the upper octave key has to be placed in the mouthpiece.

The extremely small mouthpiece requires a small and focused embouchure

Embouchure

The embouchure is the use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips to the mouthpiece of woodwind instruments or the mouthpiece of the brass instruments.The word is of French origin and is related to the root bouche , 'mouth'....

, making the soprillo difficult to play, particularly in its upper register. There is very little market demand for soprillos, reducing the economy of scale and making the soprillo more expensive than more common saxophones like the 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...

 or 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...

.

As of 2004, soprillos were being manufactured by the German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 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...

 and the retail price is approximately US$2,900.

External links

• Website dedicated to the soprillo
• Soprillo page from Benedikt Eppelsheim site
• The National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain (NSC) Hear the soprillo in action with other members of the saxophone family
• Strange saxes page at the web site of Jay C. Easton
  Jay Easton
  Dr. Jay C. Easton is an American multi-instrumentalist who plays all sizes of saxophone as well as a variety of other woodwind instruments from around the world. He is known as a specialist in very large saxophones...
  
  ; includes pictures and sound clips of his soprillo.

Listening

• Soprillo MP3s from Benedikt Eppelsheim site
• Soprillogy: CD dedicated to the soprillo.