for flute, oboe, violin, piano, or voice) without having to transpose or read music parts that have been transposed into B ♭ or E ♭, which most other saxophones would require. As a result, the player could read regular printed music (e.g. C melody saxophones are usually marked with a letter 'C' above or below the serial number.Ī major selling point for the C melody saxophone was the fact that in contrast to other saxophones, it was not a transposing instrument. Most C melody saxophones have curved necks (with a similar shape to that of the tenor saxophone) though C.G.Conn did make straight-necked C melody instruments. When seen in profile, its shape bears some resemblance to a tenor saxophone, though it is smaller and the bell appears longer. The bore on most models has a diameter and taper more like a 'stretched' alto than a tenor. ContentsĪ C melody saxophone is larger than an alto and smaller than a tenor. However, in the early years of the 21st century, small-scale production of new C melody saxophones has commenced in China for a company called Aquilasax. Since 1930, only saxophones in the key of B ♭ and E ♭ (originally intended by Sax for use in military bands and wind ensembles) have been produced on a large scale. The C melody was part of the series of saxophones pitched in C and F intended by the instrument's inventor, Adolphe Sax, for orchestral use. In the UK it is sometimes referred to as a 'C tenor', and in France as a 'tenor en ut'. The C melody saxophone is a saxophone pitched in the key of C, one whole step above the B-flat tenor saxophone.

Amati saxophone serial numbers