View source for Mezzo-soprano saxophone

{{More citations needed|date=April 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox Saxophone
|name=Mezzo-soprano saxophone
|image=Saxalto&mezzo.jpg
|image_capt=Mezzo-soprano (left) and alto (right) saxophones.
| range          = <div style="text-align: center; background-color: white;">
  <score lang="lilypond">
    {
      \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" }
      \clef treble \key c \major \cadenzaOn
      bes1 ^ \markup "written" \glissando f'''1
      ees1 ^ \markup "sounds" \glissando bes''1
    }
  </score></div> Mezzo-soprano saxophone in F sounds a [[perfect fifth]] lower than written. Most can reach high F♯ or higher, using [[altissimo]] fingerings.
}}
The '''mezzo-soprano saxophone''', sometimes called the '''F alto saxophone''', is an instrument in the [[saxophone]] family. It is in the key of F, pitched two half steps above the [[alto saxophone]] in E♭
. Its size and the sound are similar to the E{{music|b}} alto, although the upper register sounds more like a B{{music|b}} [[soprano saxophone|soprano]]. Very few mezzo-sopranos exist—they were only produced in 1928 and 1929 by the [[C.G. Conn]] company. They were not popular and did not sell widely, as their production coincided with the [[Wall Street crash of 1929]] and the [[Great Depression]]. Harsh economic conditions forced Conn to reduce the range of saxophones they produced to the most popular models.

Conn used the surplus stock of mezzo-sopranos to teach instrument repair in Conn's Elkhart workshops. Typically, a Conn instructor would deliberately damage the mezzo-sopranos (e.g. dropping them onto a concrete floor) and the students would then be tasked with repairing them. The repeated wear and tear of these actions eventually destroyed the saxophones.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

[[File:MIM Conn-O-Sax.png|thumb|upright|Conn-O-Sax, c. 1930 by C.G. Conn. [[Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix)|Musical Instrument Museum]], Phoenix]]
Conn also developed the ''Conn-O-Sax'' in F but built straight, with a slightly curved neck, spherical [[liebesfuss]]-style bell, and extra keys for low A and up to high G, intended to imitate the form, range and [[timbre]] of the [[cor anglais]]. It was produced only in small numbers 1929–1930 and is highly sought after by collectors. 

The mezzo-soprano is the only saxophone pitched in F that has ever been built, apart from prototypes of an F [[baritone saxophone|baritone]]. Although [[Maurice Ravel]]'s 1928 orchestral work ''[[Boléro]]'' calls for a [[sopranino saxophone]] in F, it is unlikely the instrument ever existed; the part is usually performed on an E♭ sopranino or B♭ soprano.

Notable players of the mezzo-soprano saxophone include [[Anthony Braxton]], [[James Carter (musician)|James Carter]], [[Vinny Golia]], [[Jon Irabagon]], and Jay Easton.

More recently, a mezzo-soprano in the key of G has been produced by Danish woodwind technician Peter Jessen, most notably played by Benjamin Koppel and [[Joe Lovano]]. Their collaboration can be heard on "The Mezzo Sax Encounter" (vinyl and CD, 2016) where Koppel and Lovano are accompanied by pianist [[Kenny Werner]], bassist Scott Colley and drummer [[Johnathan Blake]]. This instrument is more in the timbral quality of the B{{music|b}} soprano saxophone.

==In classical music==
It was asked for by [[Richard Strauss]] in his ''[[Sinfonia Domestica]]'' written in 1903–1904, which includes parts for four saxophones in the music, including an alto saxophone in F.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.jayeaston.com/galleries/sax_family/sax_p_altos.html Jay C. Easton – modern & unusual woodwinds] Jay Easton's alto and mezzo-soprano page, with photographs and sound clips.

{{Saxophone}}

[[Category:Saxophones]]
[[Category:F instruments]]


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