It was 200 years ago today that the man who invented our beloved instruments was born. Adolphe Sax was born on November 6, 1814 in Dinant, Belgium. It is in celebration of Sax’s birthday that we now have Saxophone Day.
Back in 1995, before Belgium adopted the Euro, the country honoured their favourite son by issuing a 200 Franc note with his likeness on it.
This year’s celebrations include Sax200 exhibition at the Brussels Musée Instrumental (MIM), which runs until January 11, 2015. However, not to be outdone by the Belgians, France’s Selmer company has gotten into the Saxophone Day celebrations, by releasing this video on YouTube today.
That’s right, that’s what the world’s saxophone players need: another Selmer Paris model alto saxophone. Let’s see, this is the fourth model I think, that is currently available. I didn’t see anywhere, where Selmer lists how many of these limited edition Adolph Sax altos are available.
How are you going to celebrate Saxophone Day? Are you buying another saxophone? Are you going to practice saxophone? Are you perhaps going to draw, paint, or photograph a saxophone?
Myself, I am going to band rehearsal this evening. We have a dress rehearsal for our performance on the weekend. I have a solo I need to prepare for, which I’m still not 100% comfortable with. (Imagine that, a rocker not feeling 100% comfortable reading solo music. 😉 )
No matter how to you choose to celebrate it, or not, I wish you a Happy Saxophone Day! Remember if it weren’t for Adolphe Sax, many of our lives would likely be different. None of us would be playing saxophones, and likely many of us would be playing no musical instruments at all.
and a happy saxophone day to you.
An old alternative for a limited Selmer edition is the Martin Centennial.
They where made to celebrate 100 years of Adolph Sax’s patent.
I did not know that about the Martin Centennial. Interesting.
As an afterthought;
It was made in 1941 and 1942, which is 100 years after playing the saxophone behind a curtain in Brussel.
The patent was granted in 1946.