Adolphe Sax, a Belgian instrument maker, invented the saxophone in the early 1840s and patented it in Paris on June 28, 1846.
Who he was
Adolphe Sax (Antoine-Joseph “Adolphe” Sax) was a Belgian-born instrument designer and musician who studied woodwinds and later worked in Paris, where he developed several innovations in wind instruments.
When it was created
Sax conceived the saxophone in the early 1840s and secured a French patent in 1846, formalizing the instrument’s design and family.
Why it was invented
Sax aimed to combine the power and projection of brass with the agility and timbre of woodwinds, resulting in a metal, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical bore that overblows at the octave.
Extra context
Sax also introduced related instruments like the saxhorn family and taught saxophone at the Paris Conservatory from 1857, helping integrate the instrument into military and concert bands.
