sopranino saxophone

The sopranino saxophone has a sweet sound and although it is one of the least common of the saxophones in regular use today, it is still being produced by saxophone manufacturers Orsi and Rampone & Cazzani in Italy, Henri Selmer Paris, Yanagisawa of Japan, and Chinese makers Jinbao and Wessex. Due to their small size, sopraninos are usually built straight like a clarinet, although Orsi make both straight and curved sopraninos, with the appearance of a miniature alto. • Illustration — Top to bottom: a curved Eflat sopranino saxophone, a straight Eflat sopranino saxophone, a C soprano saxophone, and a Bflat soprano saxophone The original patented saxophone family, as developed by Adolphe Sax, included E♭ and B♭ saxophones in the voices of sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass, and subcontrabass instruments, and the same seven in the keys of C and F, though only the soprano, alto, and tenor were ever made. Since the late 1990s the soprillo, an even smaller piccolo saxophone tuned in B♭ a fifth above the sopranino, was developed by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim. The sopranino saxophone is a transposing instrument, with the same written range as any saxophone, from B♭ to at least F. Sounding a minor third higher than written, like an E♭ clarinet or soprano cornet, this range corresponds to D♭ to A♭ in concert pitch.

• Name — Sopranino saxophone • Range — The sopranino saxophone in E sounds a minor third higher than written. Some models may have a high F key. • Builders — * Jinbao • Orsi • Rampone & Cazzani • Selmer • Wessex • Yanagisawa