The Italian Saxophone Museum (Museo del Saxofono) boasts a substantial collection of some of the rarest saxophones ever crafted by accomplished engravers and saxophone makers. Comprising over six hundred musical instruments, close to five hundred antique photographs, vintage musical toys, documents, catalogues, and about one thousand mouthpieces and accessories, the collection serves as a testament to the exploration and technical evolution of an initially anonymous nickel pipe transformed into the crown jewel of jazz. This instrument has demonstrated its capacity to articulate the musicians’ moods, desires, and emotions across a spectrum ranging from jazz to classical repertoire.
The Italian Saxophone Museum, situated in the premises of a former sack factory owned by the historic Maccarese Company (now under the ownership of the Municipality of Fiumicino), is conveniently located near the Leonardo da Vinci Airport, a mere twenty minutes from Rome and the Port of Civitavecchia.
In a concerted effort to maintain an active dialogue and promote the sharing of musical heritage within the community, the Italian Saxophone Museum engages in ongoing research and studies. The museum also offers the possibility of virtual exploration and appreciation of its diverse collections through its website (museodelsaxofono.com). With an expansive display area covering 450 m², featuring various showcases housing instruments at the core of the exhibition, the museum is structured around a concert hall with a stage, a bookshop, a waiting room, archive rooms, and a 500 m² outdoor space for summer concerts in the garden.
The Italian Saxophone Museum: A Love Affair and a Dream Realized
The Berni Collection, the most extensive saxophone collection globally, belongs to Attilio Berni, a saxophonist, collector, and teacher born in Sutri, a historic town approximately 50 km from Rome. Sutri, also known as Antichissima and Claustra Etruriae, significantly shaped Berni’s life as he developed a passion for music and a fascination with iconic instruments from the 1900s. His journey began with the accidental purchase of a Selmer Padless tenor saxophone from a New York taxi driver during his honeymoon in the USA in 1993. What started as a business venture in international marketing of vintage saxophones evolved into a deep connection with the instruments. Recognizing their value, Berni transitioned into becoming a saxophone collector and a dedicated researcher of these instruments’ unique stories. Despite numerous challenges and a challenging journey, he transformed his passionate quest into the first-ever museum dedicated to the saxophone in September 2019. Notably, one of the first saxophones he acquired, a C.G. Conn New Wonder Artist Virtuoso Deluxe made in 1924, featured a poetic inscription dedicated to Mary, a testament to the engraver’s passionate and eternal feelings toward a mysterious lady.
The Saxophones of Adolphe Sax Housed in Italy
Combining art and craftsmanship, creativity and tradition, the extensive saxophone family, officially patented by Adolphe Sax in Paris on March 21, 1846, made its way from the Belgian inventor’s workshop to the Italian Saxophone Museum. This family of instruments has left an indelible mark on jazz, classical, contemporary music, and various other genres. Noteworthy among the exhibits is the J’Elle Stainer compact Bb contrabass saxophone, created in Brazil in 2011 for the bicentenary celebration of Adolphe Sax’s birth. This giant instrument, ranging from low B to high F#, stands as a unique specimen with impressive dimensions, displayed prominently in the museum. Additionally, the museum houses the smallest saxophone, a 30 cm Eppelsheim soprillo pitched in Bb, one octave above the soprano saxophone.
The Sax Metamorphosis Displayed Inside the Italian Saxophone Museum
In 1841, Adolphe Sax, a brilliant Belgian manufacturer of musical instruments, unveiled his creation behind a green curtain, fearing the theft of his idea. By 1842, he had moved to Paris and, with support from Hector Berlioz, secured funding for his vision: an instrument combining the technical agility and expressiveness of strings and woodwinds with the power and sound projection of brass. The resulting saxophone family, patented in two configurations (Bb-Eb for bands and C-F for orchestral use), marked a departure from traditional construction techniques. Sax’s innovative approach, leveraging modern metallurgy and mechanics, enabled versatile, faster, and integrated production, resulting in instruments of different shapes and sizes sharing the same physical principles. Notably, an octet of Adolphe Sax saxophones, including a tenor saxophone from his personal collection, is showcased in the Italian Saxophone Museum.
Sax’s legacy continued as he settled in Paris in 1842, producing approximately 20,000 instruments until 1860. The initial family of eight saxophones, crafted from brass, evolved into seven saxophones, as documented by Georges Kastner in 1848. Notable artifacts in the museum include Kastner’s “Manuel général de musique militaire à l’usage des armées françaises” (General Guide of Military Music for the Use of the French Armies), Jazz Band by Anton Giulio Bragaglia (1929), as well as brochures and magazines—the inaugural editions of the Italian Musica Jazz and JazzTime magazines.
Adolphe Sax passed away on February 7, 1894, facing extreme poverty. His son, Adolphe-Édouard, assumed leadership at Sax before transferring it to the Selmer factory. Selmer’s introduction of the “Série 1922” in 1921 marked a revolution in saxophone craftsmanship by adopting drawn-out tone holes. Selmer’s acquisition of Adolphe Sax & Co in 1929 solidified its position as the inheritor of the saxophone’s invention and the Sax spirit.
More Precious Saxophones Displayed in the Italian Saxophone Museum Showcases
The Italian Saxophone Museum features an array of rare Selmer instruments, including Adrian Rollini’s Super Sax bass saxophone, the Mark VI Varitone tenor sax, the gold-plated Rudy Wiedoeft’s Modèle 22 C melody saxophone, and the Modèle 26 Artist Eb alto sax. Notable Padless models include the New Large Bore tenor sax, formerly owned by Tex Beneke and Bob Wilber, and the Super Action 80 black-finish tenor played by Gil Ventura.
Various Buescher variants are on display, such as the tipped bell soprano sax, the Claribel, the straight alto sax, and beautifully engraved Artist gold-plated models. The museum also houses a curved Bb soprano sax (gold plated, fully engraved body, created for the Craven Family Orchestra in the USA in 1912), the 400 Top Hat & Cane, and the Aristocrat—two highly sought-after saxes by professionals until the early 1950s. With the True Tone and Aristocrat models, Buescher maintained fidelity to Adolphe Sax’s sound concept.
The Italian Saxophone Museum also features unusual models, including the EWI—the first Electronic Wind Instrument. The collection spans the evolution from the EWI Lyricon by Bill Bernardi (1974) to Yamaha WX7 and WX11, midi Casio saxes, and Akai models.
Prominent models from the Martin factory, founded in Chicago in 1865, are on display, including the Handcraft, Committee I and II, Martin, Typewriter, and Home models. King Silversonic saxes by H.N. White Company are showcased, along with the Zephyr, Zephyr Special, and Super 20 models, distinguished by intricate chiseling.
The Italian Saxophone Museum boasts different saxophones from the C.G. Conn factory, celebrated for their aesthetic and technical-instrumental value. Masterpieces by engravers such as the Stenberg brothers and the Osborne family are featured. One of the rarest saxophones is the legendary C.G. Conn-O-Sax in F, model 22M, with a lacquered body and keys ranged from low A to high G. Named for its bulb-shaped bell, this saxophone incorporates elements of the English horn and Heckelphone. Created in the USA in 1928, only a few specimens of this model are still in circulation, as many were dismantled and repurposed as spare parts after the market crash of the ’29s.
Other Unusual Variants Present in the Italian Saxophone Museum:
- Conn Poly Chrome Eb Alto Sax, crafted in the USA in 1916. Poly Chrome, a commercial paint finish, adorned the instrument’s body and bell with intricate multicolored flowers and grapevine decorations.
- Dorn & Kirshner Semi-Curved Bb Soprano Saxophone, manufactured in the USA in 1922.
- Rothophones, saxophones’ counterparts invented by Ferdinand Roth in the late 19th century, produced by the Bottali and Maino-Orsi factories. Also known as sarrusophones, these instruments combine the construction principles of the saxophone with those of the sarrusophone. The collection includes tárogatós, a Hungarian reed aerophone. Highlights comprise bass and soprano tárogató, an octavin, and a metal tárogató with inverted mechanics.
- Slide Saxophones: Unique instruments produced during the “saxophone craze” of the 1920s, representing a hybrid between a saxophone and a trombone. These instruments lack holes or keys but feature a slide.
- Unusual Variants from Italian and French Factories, Rampone and Borgani.
- A. Rampone Non Plus Ultra dell’Artista Bb Tenor Saxophone, crafted in Italy in 1930. This custom-made instrument, one of about ten models, is distinguished by its unique bell’s repoussé. The embossed work showcases decorations raised in relief using a special hammering technique. The saxophone is equipped with a tuning neck, Apogée system, ivory rollers, and abalone mother-of-pearl adorned with a small star in solid silver.
- Maheu Compact Bb Tenor Saxophone, made in Belgium in 1930 by Charles Maheu. A tenor saxophone transformed into a mini-baritone, measuring approximately 65 cm in height, 16 cm shorter than a standard tenor sax produced during the same period.
- A dedicated section highlights the rarest mouthpiece specimens at the Italian Saxophone Museum. These mouthpieces, crucial for sound production, come in various shapes and materials such as ebonite, metal, wood, and ceramic. Brands like Berg Larsen, Brilhart, Meyer, Otto Link, Vandoren, Dukoff, Guardala, and Selmer are showcased, ranging from the tiny Chedeville of 4 cm for the oboe-sax to the mammoth J’Elle Stainer of 18 cm for the subcontrabass.
- Vintage Musical Toys or Similar: A diverse collection of inventive and colorful shapes dedicated to children, dating from the early 1900s to the late 1970s. Unique specimens, primarily of German, American, and Eastern European production, include wooden, tin, or plastic toys categorized as saxophone-shaped membranophones, simple mouthed aerophones, or miniature instruments like the QRS Playasax, Woody’s clarinet, the Songophone, Bob Burns’ kazoo, and various unusual blow accordions in a saxophone shape.
- Photographs: The Italian Saxophone Museum dedicates an essential section to vintage pictures, featuring around 500 photos from the second half of the 19th century to the ’70s. These images serve a dual purpose—informative and documentary as well as artistic. They act as windows telling stories, capturing the fascinating world of music from different eras, immortalizing great performers or anonymous musicians in unique moments, and evoking unforgettable emotions through the mysterious sound tube.
Conclusion
The Italian Saxophone Museum stands as a testament to the rich history, craftsmanship, and cultural significance of the saxophone. The diverse collection reflects the evolution of this iconic instrument, from its inception by Adolphe Sax to its various incarnations by renowned manufacturers. The museum’s commitment to research, education, and community engagement ensures the preservation and appreciation of the saxophone’s legacy for generations to come.
