Soprillo Explained

Soprillo
Inventors:Benedikt Eppelsheim
Developed:Late 1990s
Range:

Soprillo in B♭ sounds a minor seventh higher than written.

The soprillo (also known as the piccolo or sopranissimo saxophone) is the smallest saxophone, developed as an extension to the saxophone family in the late 1990s by German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim. It is 13inches long including the mouthpiece, and pitched in B♭ one octave above the soprano saxophone.

History

See main article: Benedikt Eppelsheim. Adolphe Sax's 1846 patent for the saxophone specified a family of saxophones in several sizes and pitches, ranging from the giant subcontrabass in B♭ to the sopranino in E♭. In the late 1990s German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim created a German: Piccolo-Saxophon to extend the family upwards. Pitched in B♭ a fifth higher than the sopranino, he called it the soprillo. It is sometimes also called a sopranissimo saxophone.[1]

Construction

The soprillo is pitched in B♭ an octave above the soprano saxophone—it is half the length of a soprano, measuring 13inches with the mouthpiece attached.[2] Constructing such a small saxophone presents several challenges. The keywork only extends to a written E♭6 (sounding D♭7) rather than F or F♯ like most saxophones, and the upper octave key has to be placed on the mouthpiece.[1]

The very small mouthpiece requires a correspondingly small reed and a tightly focused embouchure, making the soprillo difficult to play, particularly in its upper register. There is very little demand for soprillos, reducing the economy of scale and making the soprillo more expensive than more common saxophones like the alto or tenor.[3] The Eppelsheim soprillo is the only piccolo-sized saxophone manufactured.[4]

Performance and repertoire

There is very little music written explicitly for the soprillo given its short history and extremely high pitch. British saxophonist Nigel Wood wrote and commissioned several solo soprillo works, performing and recording them for his 2008 CD, Soprillogy.[5] Saxophonists Vinny Golia, Jay C. Easton and Berni Attilio also perform and record on soprillo.[6]

External links

Listening

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Soprillo . Wood . Nigel . Nigel Wood Music . 5 November 2022 .
  2. Redefining the saxophone, Soprillo and Tubax: new saxophones for a new millennium . Paul . Cohen . September 2000 . Saxophone Journal . Needham, MA . Dorn Publications . 25 . 1 . 8–10 . 0276-4768 .
  3. Web site: Interview mit Benedikt Eppelsheim . 13 February 2008 . 2023-09-08 . Saxophonforum: Die deutschsprachige Saxophoncommunity . de-DE.
  4. Web site: Soprillo . Munich, Germany . Benedikt Eppelsheim Wind Instruments . 27 September 2023 . German: B♭-Piccolo-Saxophon .
  5. Web site: Nigel . Wood . CD – Soprillogy . Wareham, UK . Saxtet Publications . 27 September 2023 .
  6. Encyclopedia: Vinny Golia . The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings . 2006 . 8th . Cook . Richard . Morton . Brian . London . Penguin . 514 . 978-0-141-02327-4.