The
sopranissimo saxophone (also known as the piccolo or soprillo saxophone) is the smallest member of the
saxophone family
The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...
. It is pitched in B, one octave above the
soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, so ...
. Because of the difficulties in building such a small instrument—the soprillo is long, with the mouthpiece—it is only since the mid-2010s that a true sopranissimo saxophone has been able to be produced. The keywork only extends to a written E
6 (sounding D
7), rather than F, F, or sometimes G, like most saxophones, and the upper octave key has to be placed on the mouthpiece.
The extremely small mouthpiece requires a small and focused
embouchure
Embouchure () or lipping is the use of the lips, facial muscles, tongue, and teeth in playing a wind instrument. This includes shaping the lips to the mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument or the mouthpiece of a brass instrument. The word is o ...
, making the soprillo difficult to play, particularly in its upper register. There is very little market demand for soprillos, reducing the
economy of scale
In microeconomics, economies of scale are the cost advantages that enterprises obtain due to their scale of operation, and are typically measured by the amount of output produced per unit of time. A decrease in cost per unit of output enables a ...
and making the soprillo more expensive than more common saxophones like the
alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian ( Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruse ...
or
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...
.
As of 2015, soprillos were being manufactured by the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
instrument maker
Benedikt Eppelsheim, and the retail price is approximately US$3,400.
See also
*
Sopranino saxophone
The sopranino saxophone is the second-smallest member of the saxophone family. It is tuned in the key of E, and sounds an octave higher than the alto saxophone. An F sopranino (an octave above the F alto (also called mezzo-soprano) saxophone) w ...
*
Soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, so ...
*
Tubax
The tubax is a modified contrabass saxophone developed in 1999 by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim. Although it has the same fingering as the saxophone, it has a narrower bore, smaller mouthpiece, and more compactly folded tubing ...
References
External links
Nigel Wood Music– information about the soprillo and the National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain
* Benedikt Eppelsheim'
Soprillo pageat the web site of Jay C. Easton; includes pictures and sound clips of his soprillo.
Listening
Soprillo MP3sfrom Benedikt Eppelsheim site
Soprillogy: CD dedicated to the soprillo.
Saxophones
B-flat instruments
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