ABSTRACT
The bass saxophone was the first saxophone created by Adolf Sax in 1844 and became very popular in the early and mid 20th century as a band instrument. It was made famous by players such as Harry Gold in jazz music but also was scored parts in musicals such as West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein and classical pieces such as Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger. It is the second largest of the saxophone family, traditionally playing the bass line of a musical composition but it has also been used as a solo instrument and has a unique timbre. In the 1920’s the bass saxophone was often used as it was easier to record than the double bass or tuba. Today it has been largely replaced by the smaller baritone saxophone since the baritones range was extended to concert low C.
