Saxophone - An Integral Part of Carnatic Music

 

Though very short, these video clips give us a feel of how Carnatic music is played on saxophone.

                            

SAXOPHONE

In the last century, many of the western musical instruments were adopted by Indian musicians for their repertoire. The oldest of such instruments is harmonium, which has become an integral part of Hindustani music. The other such instruments are violin, mandolin, guitar, clarinet and few others.

In this case, wind instruments have become more acceptable since no more modifications were needed. Clarinet and saxophone are the examples to prove this fact!

In the field of Carnatic music this instrument has gained its place due to the contribution of the famous maestro Kadri Gopalnath.

Saxophone

Saxophone is a member of the woodwind family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. It is commonly associated with jazz and classical western music. It is a conical tube of thin metal usually of brass and sometimes plated with silver, gold or (and) nickel. The keys are controlled by the buttons pressed by the fingers. The right thumb is placed under a thumb rest to help balance the instrument. The U-shape has become an iconic feature of the saxophone family, but other members of the same family like tenors and baritones have sometimes been made in the straight style.

         The saxophone uses a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of a clarinet. Since 20th century, reeds have been made of fiberglass and of composite materials. After the basic structure is constructed a thin coating of lacquer or silver plate is applied over the brass. This plating prevents oxidation and maintains its shiny appearance. Gold plated saxophones have also popular.

   The saxophone was designed for the military band where it first gained popularity. Nowadays it has found a place in concert bands  and big band. It has been recently introduced into symphony orchestra.

        Inexpensive folk versions of the instrument were developed in 20th century. These were keyless and were made of bamboo by instrument makers in Hawaii, Jamaica, Thailand, Indonesia etc. It was called xaphoon and was marketed by the name "bamboo saxophone". 

 Kadri Gopalanath is the most celebrated saxophone player in the field of Carnatic music. Lynn Klock, Joseph Lulloff, Manohari Singh are some of the maestros who have gained much popularity in various styles of Saxophone playing.