Myers, Arnold

Martin, Darryl

Mitroulia, Evgenia

2011-10-03T12:40:13Z

2011-10-03T12:40:13Z

2011-06-29

Adolphe Sax developed in Paris in the early 1840s a family of brass instruments, the saxhorns, which gained an immediate popularity in France, Britain and other parts of the world. The originality of saxhorns was challenged at the time through long-lasting litigations, and is still questioned by many researchers. This thesis investigates the development of the saxhorn from an organological standpoint. Saxhorns are examined in comparison to instruments predating them by other makers, along with relevant archival material (patents, lawsuit minutes, daily press, publicity material etc.) so as to reveal whether the allegations against their originality were sound. It is noticed that idiosyncrasies of intellectual property law of the time facilitated a strong interaction between musical instrument makers particularly of France and Britain. Instruments examined are Adolphe Sax saxhorns, saxhorns by other contemporary makers, mainly French and British, but not exclusively, as well as a number of related instruments, made before and after the development of Sax’s saxhorns. The assertions of Sax’s rivals are not fully confirmed based on the analysis of instrument measurements. It is also argued that the saxotromba family, so far considered extinct, is in fact represented by two members in the saxhorn family, the alto and the baritone. A number of related instruments emerged around the middle of the nineteenth century in various wraps and with different names. These are compared to saxhorns and classified according to bore-profile properties. Only certain groups were distinct, whereas most were essentially saxhorns in different forms. Sax’s brasswind production as a whole is reviewed not only as an enumeration of his developments, but also to provide an assessment of the genuine innovation in his work.

http://hdl.handle.net/1842/5490

en

The University of Edinburgh

Eugenia Mitroulia, with Géry Dumoulin and Niles Eldredge, “On the Early History of the Périnet Valve” Galpin Society Journal 61 (April 2008): 217-29, 255.

Eugenia Mitroulia, with Arnold Myers, “Adolphe Sax: Visionary or Plagiarist?” Historic Brass Society Journal 20 (2008): 93-141.

Eugenia Mitroulia, “The Saxotromba: Fact or Fiction?” Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society 21 (2009): 123-49

Eugenia Mitroulia with Arnold Myers, “The Distin Family as Instrument Makers and Dealers” Scottish Music Review 2 (January 2011). Available at: http://www.scottishmusicreview.org/index.php/SMR/article/view/20.

Eugenia Mitroulia, “Adolphe Sax’s Bigger Brasses”, 35th Annual Meeting of the American Musical Instrument Society, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, 19- 23 May 2006.

Eugenia Mitroulia with Arnold Myers, “Adolphe Sax: Visionary or Plagiarist?”, Meeting of the Historic Brass Society, Musée de la musique, Paris, 29 June -1 July 2007.

Eugenia Mitroulia, “The Elusive Identity of the Smaller Saxhorns” meeting of the Historic Brass Society held at the Musée de la musique, Paris, 29 June -1 July 2007. • Eugenia Mitroulia, “The Saxotromba: Fact or Fiction?”, 37th Annual Meeting of the American Musical Instrument Society , Cantos Music Foundation, Calgary, 28 May - 1 June 2008

Eugenia Mitroulia with Arnold Myers. “The Distin Family as Instrument Makers and Dealers”, 38th Annual Meeting of the American Musical Instrument Society, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 21-24 May 2009.

“France and Britain: Crossroads of Brass Instrument Making”, Joint Meeting of the Galpin Society and the Historic Brass Society, London and Edinburgh, 7-11 July 2009.

Bruno Kampmann with Eugenia Mitroulia, “Instruments made by Adolphe Sax and his Son: evolution during the transitional period”, Joint meeting of the International Committee of Musical Instrument Museums and Collections, Galpin Society, American Musical Instrument Society, Historic Brass Society, Florence-Rome, 6-12 September 2009.

Arnold Myers with Eugenia Mitroulia, “What We Learn From Measuring Instruments”, Joint meeting of the International Committee of Musical Instrument Museums and Collections, Galpin Society, American Musical Instrument Society, Historic Brass Society, Florence-Rome, 6-12 September 2009.

organology

brass instruments

Sax, Adolphe

saxhorns

Adolphe Sax’s brasswind production with a focus on saxhorns and related instruments

Thesis or Dissertation

Doctoral

PhD Doctor of Philosophy