Scores Saxophone Grade 1 to 4

The saxophone was developed in 1846 by Adolphe Sax, a Belgian instrument maker, flautist and clarinettist. Born in Dinant and originally from Brussels, he moved to Paris in 1842 to establish his musical instrument business. Prior to his work on the saxophone, he made several improvements to the bass clarinet by improving its keywork and acoustics and extending its lower range. Sax was also a maker of the then-popular ophicleid, a large conical brass instrument in the bass register with keys similar to a wooden instrument. His experience with these two instruments enabled him to develop the skills and technologies necessary to make the first saxophones. As an extension of his work to improve the bass clarinet, Sax began to develop an instrument with the projection of a brass instrument and the agility of a woodwind.

Sax created an instrument with a single-reed mouthpiece like a clarinet, a tapered brass body like an ophicleid, and some of the acoustic properties of the clarinet.

Having built saxophones of various sizes in the early 1840s, Sax applied for and received a 15-year patent for the instrument on 28 June 1846. The patent covers 14 versions of the basic design, divided into two classes of seven instruments each, ranging from sopranino to double bass. Although the instruments transposed to F or C are considered 'orchestral', there is no evidence that Sax intended to do so. As only three percent of Sax's surviving output was set in F and C, and as contemporary composers have freely used the Eb alto and Bb bass saxophone in orchestral scores, it is almost certain that Sax experimented to find the most appropriate keys.

The saxophone gained popularity in one of the uses for which it was designed: military bands. Although the instrument was mostly ignored in Germany, the French and Belgian military bands took full advantage of the instrument Sax had designed. Most French and Belgian military bands incorporate at least one saxophone quartet, consisting of an Eb baritone, a tenor, an alto and a soprano. These four instruments proved to be the most popular of all Sax's creations, with the Eb bass, the Bb bass and the insufficiently powerful Eb sopranino. British military bands tend to include at least two saxophonists, the alto and the tenor. Today the saxophone is used in military bands all over the world.

The saxophone was later introduced into wind band scores, which usually require an Eb alto saxophone, a Bb tenor saxophone and an Eb baritone saxophone. A Bb bass saxophone is called for in some pieces (especially the music of Percy Grainger).

Saxophones are used in chamber music scores, such as saxophone quartets and other combinations of chamber instruments.

The classical saxophone quartet consists of a soprano saxophone, an alto saxophone, a tenor saxophone and a baritone saxophone. There is a repertoire of classical compositions and arrangements for SATB instrumentation dating back to the 19th century, notably by French composers who knew Sax. Habanera Quartet, h2 Quartet, Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, Aurelia Saxophone Quartet and New Century Saxophone Quartet are among the classical saxophone quartets. The quartets led by Marcel Mule and Daniel Deffayet, professors of saxophone at the Paris Conservatoire, were founded in 1928 and 1953 respectively and enjoyed a high reputation. The Mule Quartet is often regarded as the prototype of future quartets, due to the level of virtuosity demonstrated by its members and its central role in the development of the quartet repertoire. However, organised quartets existed before the Mule ensemble, the first example being the quartet led by Eduard Lefebre (1834-1911), a former soloist with the Sousa group, in the United States. 1904-1911. Other ensembles probably existed at this time as part of the saxophone sections of the many professional touring bands that existed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the saxophone found increasing popularity in symphony orchestras. In one size or another, the instrument has also been found to be a useful accompaniment to genres such as opera and choral music. Many musical theatre scores include parts for a saxophone, sometimes doubling another wind or brass instrument. In this way, the saxophone serves as an intermediate point between the other woodwinds and the brass section, helping to blend them together.