You have to keep in mind that someone, somewhere mathematically measured and curled metal tubing around in such a way that it would make these exact sounds, as well as precisely drill each individual hole to where this "instrument" would make these sounds. Someone had to look at this and say, "This is not an accident. I wanted this to happen and I'm proud of it."
Keep in mind that the player is a technician and not a specialist, and that he's playing in a tiny workshop. The sarrusophone would never have been used in French orchestral scores if it had sounded that brutal.
OrchestrationOnline That's not true. Check the original orchestration of symphonie phantastique. The Dies Irae solo is played originally with trombones and sarrusophones.
Thanks for the clarification. I am indeed the technician who restored this instrument. I am a trombonist, so playing the contra-bass sarrusophone was a stretch to say the least. In restoring it, I did extensive research. The customer I restored it for is a tuba player. He thought it may work like an ophecleide by using a brass mouthpiece. I knew that would not work, but the video was to show him that. I also read that a single reed tenor sax MP was sometimes used, so I tried it.
I have a recording of the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra with André Cluytens conducting Ravel's Ma mère l'Oye. The contrabassoon solo in Beauty and the Beast sounds much like this. French oboes and bassoons had an earthy, reedy sound until relatively recently. This sound wouldn't have been much of a stretch for a Parisian audience until perhaps the 1970s.
Scott Robinson, a jazz multi-instrumentalist beyond compare plays the holy heck out of the sub-contrabass sarrusophone. He also plays every wind instrument known to man, God and the underworld. I went to college (Berklee) with him in the 70's. On my first day in the dorms, I saw this tall, skinny scruffy guy sitting on a step, surrounded by about 7 musical instrument cases and a sousaphone, playing Bird (Charlie Parker) licks on a plastic recorder. He was out of my league but I somehow got him to sub for my regular sax player on one gig, and after the trumpet player played a solo on Well You Needn't, Scott played it back almost note for note, then blew another couple choruses expanding on that. I wanted to quit music and school and go home after that.
They sound better then this, when played by an experienced player using the correct reed. There are a number of other videos that show bass and contrabass Sarrousophones being played musically.
Sarrusophones were originally double reed instruments. They could, however, be played with a single reed mouthpiece quite well, with a prime example being Sidney Bechet’s solo on Clarence Williams’ Blue Five “Mandy, Make up Your Mind.” It’s a great tune, you should give it a listen.
I was sitting here thinking how there's hardly any practical purpose for this instrument in a realistic musical setting. You just had to go and show me how wrong I am by pointing out someone who played it well...and of course I had to go listen to it! Thanks for the recommendation- as random as it was. Remind me to recruit you next time I play trivia! :)
@@yahrah2003 and once again, even with all the readily available online information on practically every subject, people are simply guessing at things instead of spending a minute looking it up. Both the Sarrousophone and the Saxophone, which by the way were invented nearly at the same time, were in large part intended to provide new woodwind instruments that could replace traditional wooden ones, being more robust, more weather resistant, playable while wearing gloves (no simple open holes, every holes had to be covered with a key, mechanical means provided to avoid the need for half-holing, etc)....this to suit military bands. The Saxophone was the better design, but the Gautrot offering (Gautrot was a major competitor of Sax), which consulted French bandmaster Sarrous, was still a useful instrument in its intended application of loud, outdoor bands; in that capacity, the bass models can replace a bassoon, and the contrabass ones can replace contrabassoons. Most were made in France and Italy, but even Conn in the States was commissioned to make the contrabass models for the US Maine Corps bands, and this was not accidental.
Conn supplied their Sarrusaphone with a modified alto sax mouthpiece, which had the chamber partly filled in, the bore plugged, drilled, and reamed to fit the bocal on the Sarrusaphone. A contrabassoon reamer works for this. I have actually made a number of Sarrusaphone mouthpieces, beginning with an alto sax mouthpiece. I plugged the bore with a piece of Delrin rod, and drilled it. The chamber was partly filled in with epoxy putty. I also lengthened the facing a bit. Players said these mouthpieces worked well.
Clarence Williams 1924 "Mandy, Make Up Your Mind" feature Sidney Bechet playing a solo on the Eb contrabass sarrusophone with a single reed mouthpiece. It's on youtube. Louis Armstrong is also featured.
this is the ONLY sarrusaphone video on youtube. PLEASE POST MORE. I'd like to hear sarrusaphones of other sizes if you have them. good job repairing it. the horn looks nice.
Considering that these were designed as reed instruments, and have a key mechanism not unlike that of a saxophone, I'm not sure why you imagined that a tuba mouthpiece was the way to go. When you repair a mandolin, do you test it with drum sticks?
Thanks for this video as I have become fascinated with the Sarrusophone. I have heard this instrument all my life not knowing what it was as I was exposed to the film music of Vic Mizzy who must have loved the instrument because he included it often to add distinctive and fun effects.
Sarrusophone is a double reed instrument, it was invented by Gautrot in Paris in 1850-ies. Its main purpose was to replace bassoon and contrabassoon in military wind orchestras.Sarrusophone had more power,and its metal body was resistant to weather changes and rough handling.The keywork is based on Boehm system principles,so its fingerings are identical to those of saxophone.On the other hand,its timbre was rough and dull. P.S.: contrabass sarrusophone reed is the biggest of all double reeds
@Friendulum --- Yes, the instrument was designed by the Frenchman Sarrus, and it is a double reed instrument, a woodwind built in brass for more "punch".
The Eb double bass Sarrusophone was designed by the French band master Sarrus, and was built in brass to give the woodwind section more penetration. It is a double reed instrument. William L. Palminteri
@NPjazzsaxmusic : The ophicleide is also the reason why Sax gave the saxophone that characteristic "smoke-pipe" shape (so people wouldn't think a saxophone was just an ophicleide with a clarinet mouthpiece). Now that the ophicleide is forgotten, why isn't bigger saxophone built in the more ergonomic ophicleide shape?
@StpMakinMeChangMyNam This instrument was the predecessor of the Contrabassoon. Once the Contrabassoon was heard, this instrument was quickly replaced because the Contrabassoon has a much darker sound.
Nah, this guy is a pro-level player on many instruments, esp the trombone. He is fully qualified to assess the instrument. Chris is massively equipped in terms of instrumental technique and he s playing this sarrusophone at a level equivalent to an average player back in the day.
@papoocanada I'm using the Tuba mouthpiece because the owner of the sarrusophone is a tuba player and thought it would work. The single reed I used because I read that single reed MP's had been used in the past.
Seriously, Chris is an expert horn repair guy, and a great person, and one of the best musicians I've ever had the pleasure of playing with, and being buddies with....oh, and Chris, I stole (accidently) your blue lighter.... Your Pal, Oaky "Jerome" PS: You are the best Sarrussophone player I've ever heard.....and that's from the heart man (tear rolls into left eye only...........hhmmmm, that's weird)
@CorvetteCoonass I thought the contrabassoon came first but the contrabass sarrusophone was used instead of it for a while because at the time the contrabassoon was too quiet, until the contrabassoon was improved, causing this to fall out of favor.
In the Music Museum in Brussel, one of the best music museums in the world, they have a sarrusophone. There it has a tuba moutpiece on it, but between the sarrusophone and the mouthpiece there is a small brass pipe making a looping. Maybe try that, if it's on it there I guess it may be creating a better sound. greetings
Basically a metal contrabassoon, made for military bands. So what's not to like? With the right mouthpiece, a perfectly serviceable reed bass! Thanks for sharing.
When Conn sold the contrabass sarrusophone, it was to complete their saxophone family; the actual contrabass saxophone is prohibitively expensive, large and unweildly, and there was no literature for it. The contrabass sarrusophone had literature, so they sold it, and also made a miniscule, specialized single-reed mouthpiece for sax players to complete their "family". The double reed these use is unique, and not like a contrabassoon reed; it can be very nuanced and warm sounding.
No time to scroll through all the comments, many of which seem both philistine and uninformed. Ravel thought this an instrument worth using. If memory serves, it was this rather than the commonly used contrabassoon which is scored in Ma mère L'oye, and as for no one ever making much of playing one, how's about Sidney Béchet in 1924 ¨Mandy, make up your mind?¨
no, that's not what this video means. it means that we now have a possible alternative. That's like like saying the opheclide is going to replace the tuba.
that's not a bassoon reed. it's a contrabassoon reed and that is indeed what it was designed to work with. the Sarrusophone family was a double reed answer to the saxophone family. all the Sarrusophones function with the same fingering system to allow players to easily switch between them. It was common for early twentieth century French composers to substitute the contrabass Sarrusophone for the contrabasson
well these were made for the old marching bands like around Sousa's time with experimenting alongside the mellophone and sousaphone. this is one of the few videos and recordings ive ever seen, and its just how you use a bassoon in a concert setting but while marching with the military (when they were just a moving concert band)
I play tenor and bassoon and when I saw you pull the bassoon reed out I thought to myself that it was going to sound like crap but the valves or keys on the instrument look kinda like bassoon keys
@rockerchik918 Exactly...first time playing this bad boy ya gotta test it out! Besides, looks like a professional to me. No sarrusophones were harmed in the making of this video! I'm sure the owner loves it just as much as your comment. Unless you are the owner...?
