Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann (William Davis) & Forty Fathoms by Harold L. Walters. Performed at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA with the Seattle Wind Symphony. Video by Chinook Wind Video.
That's a very apt description - it's kinda like a saxophone with a double-reed (oboe-bassoon) mouthpiece. They are both descendants of the ophicleide, one crossed with a bassoon, the other with a clarinet. Otherwise, besides being made of brass both the sarruss and the sax have the ophicleide's conical bore and tone-hole/cover mechanisms.
Wow, this is the kind of sarrusophone video I've been waiting for. Some of those notes in the upper middle register are just gorgeous and cello-like. Such an under-appreciated instrument, now all I need is a recording of The Sorcerer's Apprentice with the original instrumentation.
It was originally scored for bassoons and contrabass sarrusophone rather than bassoons and contrabassoon. There's a famous solo about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way through the piece for sarrusophone (less famous than the bassoons' theme about 2 minutes in) that's almost always played on contrabassoon.
As far as I know, the sarrusophone is essentially an ophicleide with a double-reed mouthpiece rather than a brass mouthpiece. The saxophone inherited the tone-hole and articulated caps of the ophicleide, and single-reed mouthpiece from the clarinet. Ophicleide in action: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lZzr4xXPeyw.html
It's nice to finally see this instrument played properly, and with an orchestra too, too many videos of this thing being played badly, making it sound like nothing but noise.
as a saxophone player myself I really feel like this has a beter use case than saxophones, especially in classical orchestras, because this sounds like a real woodwind, while a saxophone sounds like a mix between brass and wood
The upper treble range of sarrusophones is said to be weak. And, having only the same range 2-1/2 octave as a saxophone -- a Bb bass saxophone, in the case of this bass sarrusophone -- it has less range than a bassoon. The sarrusophones were made as a family in the same pitches and sizes as the saxophones, with the idea that they could take over oboe and bassoon parts in band music. But, with their being transposing instruments with limited range, this often meant that two sarrusophones would have to share portions of an oboe or bassoon part to replace it adequately. According to an article by Robert Howe, the Boehm system oboe actually came to displace the treble sarrusophone in military bands, because it could handle oboe parts as is, and it had the same extra power of the sarrusophone, but with a stronger treble.
Great job! So glad to hear this. btw, piccolo player....it's a called a 'ritard', when you slow down with the conductor at the end of that section...you know, the one you've rehearsed at least 10 times. And is it just me, or are those 2 clarinet players behind the soloist throwing serious eyebrow shade at him?
Most of those old instruments from way back never really became extinct. Even better today, they are being manufactured by many companies - The Serpent, Ophicleide, Cornett, Sackbutt, all the old double-reed windcap instruments..... it's a marvellous time for these instruments.
@@nandocordeiro5853 prove your claim. It both looks and sounds like a double-reed instrument. Pause at 7:40. He takes it out of his mouth then and you can very clearly see the double-reed.
it has the same range as a bas saxophone, but it is double reed. The superficial likeness of these two instruments is because they are both based on the Ophicleide, a brass instrument from the 18th century
