The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax. It is perhaps the most well known of all saxophones and is a transposing instrument, pitched in the key of B♭, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble clef, sounding a major ninth lower than the written pitch.

Invention and usage

In the early 20th century, instrument makers manufactured a saxophone slightly smaller than the tenor which was pitched in the key of C, a whole tone higher that the modern tenor instrument. This was known as a C melody saxophone. C melody saxophones became common during the American saxophone craze (1919-1929). No C melody saxophones have been mass manufactured since 1929, and C melody saxophones are not usually included in any present-day band or jazz ensemble.

The tenor saxophone is used in many different types of ensembles, including concert bands, big band jazz ensembles, small jazz ensembles, and marching bands. It is occasionally included in pieces written for symphony orchestra and for chamber ensembles; two examples of this are Ravel's Boléro and Webern's Quartet for violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone, and piano. In concert bands, the tenor plays mostly a supporting role, sometimes sharing parts with the euphonium, horn and trombone. In jazz ensembles, the tenor plays a more prominent role, often sharing parts or harmonies with the alto saxophone.

Jazz and popular music

The tenor saxophone became better known through its frequent use in jazz music. It was the pioneering playing of Coleman Hawkins in the 1930s which lifted the tenor saxophone from its traditional role of adding weight to the ensemble and established it as a highly-effective melody instrument in its own right.

Many prominent jazz musicians from the 1940's onwards have been tenor players. The strong resonant sound of Hawkins and his followers always in contrast with the light, almost jaunty approach of Lester Young and his school. Then during the be-bop years the most prominent tenor sounds in jazz were those of the Four Brothers in the Woody Herman orchestra, including Stan Getz who in the 1960s went on to great popular success playing the Brazilian Bossa nova sound on tenor saxophone.

As a result of its prominence in American jazz, the instrument has also featured prominently in other genres. The tenor is extremely common in rhythm and blues music and has a part to play in rock and roll and more recent rock music as well as Afro-American, Latin American, Afro-Caribbean, and African music. It has also been used on occasion by many post-punk and experimental bands throughout the UK and Europe in the 1980s, sometimes atonally.

Technicalities

The tenor saxophone requires a slightly larger mouthpiece, reed, and ligature than the alto.

Extended Ranges

On all saxophones, but especially tenor, the use of extended registers is common. Famous tenor saxophonists, John Coltrane, Michael Brecker, James Haulik, Sonny Rollins, Lenny Pickett, etc., use a register called the Altissimo. The Altissimo consists of notes higher than high F. Notes in altissimo go on forever until they are inaudible, but they are from high F#, G (Extremely Hard), G# (Extremely Hard), A, Bb, B, C, C#, D, Eb, E, F. It can go up at least one more octave. On tenor you can also go below low Bb, but you need to play low Bb and tilt the bell into your knee and it will be a low A.

Prominent musicians

Some famous tenor saxophonists are:

• the Coleman Hawkins school including Herschel Evans, Buddy Tate, Illinois Jacquet Bud Freeman and Ben Webster
• the Lester Young school including Budd Johnson and Wardell Gray
• the Four Brothers scene including Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Jimmy Giuffre, Richie Kamuca.
• Be-bop and beyond Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane, Booker Ervin, Yusef Lateef, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Chico Freeman.
• Free-jazz - Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders, Peter Brotzmann
• Fusion and funk - Michael Brecker.
• Return to the mainstream - Von Freeman, Scott Hamilton.

•  • [ e] Members of the Saxophone family
True saxophones: †Soprillo saxophone • Sopranino saxophone • Soprano saxophone • Mezzo-soprano saxophone • Alto saxophone • C melody saxophone • Tenor saxophone • Baritone saxophone • Bass saxophone • Contrabass saxophone • ‡Subcontrabass saxophone
Tubaxes: †Contrabass tubax • †Subcontrabass tubax
† denotes saxophone not designed by Adolphe Sax• ‡ denotes saxophone proposed by Adolphe Sax