Soprillo

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Soprillo
Woodwind instrument
Classification Single-reed
Hornbostel–Sachs classification422.212-71
(Single-reed aerophone with keys)
InventorBenedikt Eppelsheim
DevelopedLate 1990s
Playing range
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Soprillo in B♭ sounds a minor seventh higher than written.
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The soprillo, also known as the piccolo saxophone or rarely sopranissimo saxophone, is the highest pitched and smallest saxophone. The soprillo was developed as a piccolo extension to the saxophone family in the late 1990s by German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim, although a working prototype sopranissimo of the same pitch was made in 1960 in a more compact curved form. The soprillo is pitched in B♭, one octave above the soprano saxophone, and half its length at 33 centimetres (13 in) including the mouthpiece.

History

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Main articles: Saxophone § History, and Benedikt Eppelsheim

Adolphe Sax's 1846 patent for the saxophone specified a family of saxophones in several sizes and pitches, ranging from the giant subcontrabass bourdon in B♭ to the sopranino saxophone aigu in E♭ or F. The concept of another size of saxophone, even smaller and higher than the sopranino, was described in method books published in the same year, before many of the different sizes of saxophone were first built. The 1846 saxophone methods by Jean-François-Barthélémy Cokken [fr] and Jean-Georges Kastner both provide transposition charts for seven sizes, starting with the saxophone sur aigu in C and B♭ an octave or minor seventh above concert pitch (while omitting the tenor size, and either the alto or baritone size).[2][3]

The first playable piccolo instrument was a prototype sopranissimo saxophone built in 1960, in B♭ a fifth higher than the sopranino. Hand-made by Brussels-based maker Robert van Linthout in the familiar curved form that turns the bell through 180° to point upwards, it measured barely 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long.[4]

In the late 1990s, German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim created a Piccolo-Saxophon (lit. 'piccolo saxophone'), also pitched in B♭, in the longer soprano-like straight form, which he called the soprillo.[1]

Construction

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Main article: Saxophone § Construction

The soprillo is pitched in B♭ and is 33 cm (13 in) long including the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is non-removable, and the ligature, integrated into the instrument, is designed to fit the small reeds for the sopranino E♭ clarinet.[5]

Compared to a soprano saxophone, the soprillo is pitched one octave higher and is half its length.[5] Constructing such a small saxophone presents several challenges. Most saxophones have keys for high F and F♯, but the soprillo only has keywork to high E♭. The small size of the soprillo means the upper octave key forms part of the mouthpiece.[6]

The soprillo is difficult to play, especially in the high register. The small size of both the mouthpiece and the reed requires a strong embouchure, but also makes the soprillo easily accessible to players experienced with E♭ clarinet or sopranino saxophone.[5] As of 2025, the Eppelsheim soprillo is the only piccolo-sized saxophone manufactured.[1] They are expensive compared to other small saxophones; due to very limited demand, they are only built to order.[7]

Performance and repertoire

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There is very little music written explicitly for the soprillo given its short history and extremely high pitch. British saxophonist Nigel Wood wrote and commissioned several solo soprillo works, performing and recording them for his 2008 CD, Soprillogy.[8] Saxophonists Vinny Golia, Jay C. Easton and Attilio Berni also perform and record on soprillo.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Soprillo". Munich: Benedikt Eppelsheim Wind Instruments. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023. B♭-Piccolo-Saxophon
  2. ^ Cokken, Jean-François-Barthélémy (1846). Méthode complète de saxophone. Paris: J. Meissonnier. p. 2. Retrieved 6 October 2025 – via BnF.
  3. ^ Kastner, Jean-Georges (1846). Méthode complète et raisonnée de saxophone. Paris: E. Troupenas & Cie. p. 23. Retrieved 6 October 2025 – via BnF.
  4. ^ Cohen, Paul (November 1996). "Vintage Saxophones Revisited". Saxophone Journal. 21 (2). Needham: Dorn Publications. ISSN 0276-4768.
  5. ^ a b c Cohen, Paul (September 2000). "The Saxophone Redefined – Soprillo and Tubax: New Saxophones For A New Millennium". Saxophone Journal. 25 (1). Needham: Dorn Publications: 52–54. ISSN 0276-4768.
  6. ^ Wood, Nigel. "The Soprillo". Nigel Wood Music. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Interview mit Benedikt Eppelsheim". Saxophonforum: Die deutschsprachige Saxophoncommunity (in German). 13 February 2008. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  8. ^ Wood, Nigel. "CD – Soprillogy". Wareham, UK: Saxtet Publications. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  9. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian, eds. (2006). "Vinny Golia". The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (8th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 514. ISBN 978-0-141-02327-4.
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  • Media related to Soprillo at Wikimedia Commons.
  • The World's Smallest Saxophone (YouTube) – Jim Cheek from London's Sax Shop explains the soprillo in detail.
  • Nigel Wood Music – information about the soprillo and the National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain.
  • Jay C. Easton's Strange saxes page – includes pictures and sound clips of his soprillo.

Listening

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