Sarrusophone

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Sarrusophone" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Sarrusophone

Sarrusophones, left to right: bass, baritone, tenor, alto, soprano. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Woodwind instrument
Classification	Wind Aerophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	422.112 (Double reed aerophone with keys)
Inventor(s)	Pierre-Auguste Sarrus (concept) Pierre-Louis Gautrot (patent)
Developed	Mid 19th century
Playing range
Written range of a sarrusophone; all (except the C contrabass) are transposing instruments notated in treble clef.
Related instruments
Oboe Bassoon Contrabassoon Saxophone Reed contrabass Rothphone
Builders
Conn (contrabass only) Couesnon & Co. Evette & Schaeffer Gautrot Orsi
More articles or information
Sarrusophones: Soprano Alto Tenor Baritone Bass Contrabass

The sarrusophones are a family of metal double reed conical bore woodwind instruments patented and first manufactured by French instrument maker Pierre-Louis Gautrot in 1856. Gautrot named the sarrusophone after French bandmaster Pierre-Auguste Sarrus (1813–1876), whom he credited with the concept of the instrument, though it is not clear whether Sarrus benefited financially. The instruments were intended for military bands, to serve as replacements for oboes and bassoons which at the time lacked the carrying power required for outdoor marching music. Although originally designed as double-reed instruments, single-reed mouthpieces were later developed for use with the larger bass and contrabass sarrusophones.