The alto saxophone is a type of woodwind instrument in the saxophone family. Saxophones were created by a Belgian inventor named Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. He received a patent for his invention in 1846. The alto saxophone plays music in the key of E flat. It is smaller than the tenor saxophone but larger than the soprano saxophone. This saxophone is the most commonly used and appears in many types of music, including popular music, concert bands, chamber music, solo performances, military bands, marching bands, pep bands, Carnatic music, and jazz (such as big bands, jazz ensembles, and swing music).

The alto saxophone played an important part in the creation of jazz. Many famous jazz musicians who made major contributions include Don Redman, Jimmy Dorsey, Johnny Hodges, Benny Carter, Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Lee Konitz, Jackie McLean, Phil Woods, Art Pepper, Paul Desmond, and Cannonball Adderley.

Although the alto saxophone is not often used in orchestral music, some well-known performers who have played it include Marcel Mule, Sigurd Raschèr, Jean-Marie Londeix, Eugene Rousseau, and Frederick L. Hemke.

Range

The written range of the alto saxophone is from B♭3 to F♯6, with the very high altissimo register beginning at G6. Some student alto saxophones, such as the Yamaha YAS-26, do not include a written high F♯ in their range. However, this note can still be played using special fingerings. In concert terms (in the key of C), this range corresponds to D♭ to A♭. The altissimo register is harder to control than the high registers of other woodwinds and is typically played only by advanced musicians. While there is no clear upper limit for the altissimo register, most fingering charts show notes up to a written D8 (which sounds as F7).

The alto saxophone is a transposing instrument, meaning the notes it plays sound a major sixth lower than written. In concert pitch terms, the alto saxophone's range spans from concert D♭3 (the D♭ below middle C) to concert A♭5 (or A5 on models with a high F♯ key).

A few rare alto saxophones, such as some Selmer Mark VI models and those made by Couesnon, are designed to play a low A, which is one semitone lower than the usual range. This is similar to the range of most baritone saxophones.

Alto saxophonists

Famous jazz alto saxophonists include Charlie Parker, Cannonball Adderley, Johnny Hodges, Sonny Stitt, Paul Desmond, Benny Carter, Ornette Coleman, Lee Konitz, Bobby Watson, Eric Dolphy, Marshall Allen, Art Pepper, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, Anthony Braxton, Henry Threadgill, Carlos Ward, David Sanborn, Dave Koz, Tom Scott, Paquito D'Rivera, John Zorn, Tim Berne, Steve Wilson, Steve Coleman, Greg Osby, Vincent Herring, Mark Gross, Kenny Garrett, and Jeff Coffin.

Famous classical alto saxophonists include Tim McAllister, Jean-Yves Fourmeau, Lawrence Gwozdz, Donald Sinta, Harvey Pittel, Larry Teal, Kenneth Tse, Arno Bornkamp, Harry White, Otis Murphy, and Claude Delangle.

Kadri Gopalnath was the first person to play Carnatic music on the alto saxophone. Rudresh Mahanthappa uses both jazz and Carnatic music styles on the alto saxophone, as heard in his song Janani.

Manufacturers

Some companies that make saxophones are Buffet Crampon, KHS and Jupiter, Conn-Selmer, Selmer Paris, Yamaha, Leblanc and Vito, Keilwerth, Cannonball, and Yanagisawa.

Classical music repertoire

The alto saxophone has many classical music pieces where it plays alone or with other musicians, such as orchestras, pianists, and wind symphonies. Two important pieces are Jacques Ibert's "Concertino da Camera" and Alexander Glazunov's "Concerto in E Flat major."

The alto saxophone is commonly used in concert bands and saxophone quartets. Alexander Glazunov wrote a saxophone quartet in B-flat major in 1932.

The alto saxophone is sometimes included in orchestral music. Some examples of compositions that use it are listed below:

• Georges Bizet uses the alto saxophone in the "Intermezzo" and "Minuet" from the second suite of music from L'Arlésienne.
• Richard Strauss included the alto saxophone in his Sinfonia Domestica, which features parts for four saxophones, including an alto saxophone in F.
• Dmitri Shostakovich uses the alto saxophone in his Suite for Variety Orchestra, where it has a solo in "Waltz No. 2." He also includes it in his Suite No. 1 and Suite No. 2.
• Maurice Ravel uses the saxophone in his orchestration of Modest Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, especially as the soloist in "Il vecchio castello."
• Alban Berg uses the saxophone in his late orchestral works, such as Der Wein, Lulu, and the Violin Concerto.
• Sergei Rachmaninoff uses the saxophone as a soloist in the first movement of his Symphonic Dances.
• George Gershwin includes the alto saxophone in pieces like Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris.
• Pierre Boulez wrote for two alto saxophones in his composition Pli selon pli ("Fold by Fold").
• Benjamin Britten includes an alto saxophone in his Sinfonia da Requiem and The Prince of the Pagodas.
• Leonard Bernstein includes an alto saxophone in his Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.
• Vincent d'Indy uses two alto saxophones in his opera Fervaal.
• Darius Milhaud writes for an alto saxophone in La Création du Monde, placing it where a viola would typically appear.
• Allan Pettersson uses an alto saxophone in his 16th Symphony.
• Krzysztof Penderecki scores for two alto saxophones in his opera The Devils of Loudon ("Die Teufel von Loudon").
• Aram Khatchaturian includes an alto saxophone in his ballet Gayane.
• Poul Ruders includes a significant solo for the alto saxophone in his orchestral suite Concerto in Pieces.
• Eric Coates wrote for an alto saxophone in his 1936 Saxo-Rhapsody.
• Claude Debussy features an alto saxophone in his Rhapsody for Saxophone and Orchestra.
• Paul Creston wrote a concerto for the alto saxophone, a sonata with piano, a rhapsody with organ, and a suite for saxophone quartet.
• Ronald Binge wrote a concerto for the alto saxophone in E-flat major (1956).
• Alan Hovhaness includes an alto saxophone in his ballet Is There Survival (also known as King Vahaken) and in incidental music for the play The Flowering Peach.
• Béla Bartók calls for an alto saxophone in his ballet The Wooden Prince (along with tenor and baritone saxophones).
• Michael Tippett uses an alto saxophone in his 1989 opera New Year (along with soprano, tenor, and baritone saxophones).
• Tony Banks wrote a feature for the alto saxophone in the first track of his 2012 album Six Pieces for Orchestra.
• Igor Stravinsky includes two alto saxophones in his Ebony Concerto (along with two tenor and one baritone saxophone).