Soprillo

The soprillo, also known as the piccolo saxophone or rarely sopranissimo saxophone, is the highest pitched and smallest saxophone. The soprillo was developed as an extension to the saxophone family in the late 1990s by German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim, although a working prototype was made in 1960 in compact curved form. Pitched in B♭ and 33 cm (13 in) long, including the mouthpiece, the soprillo is one octave above a soprano saxophone and half its length.

Soprillo

Woodwind instrument
Classification	Single-reed
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	422.212-71 (Single-reed aerophone with keys)
Inventor(s)	Benedikt Eppelsheim
Developed	Late 1990s
Playing range
Soprillo in B♭ sounds a minor seventh higher than written.
Related instruments
Sizes: Soprillo Sopranino Soprano Alto Tenor Baritone Bass Contrabass Subcontrabass Orchestral saxophones: C soprano Mezzo-soprano C melody Specialty saxophones: Aulochrome Tubax
Musicians
Attilio Berni Jay C. Easton Vinny Golia Nigel Wood
Builders
Benedikt Eppelsheim [1]

History

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 in B♭ to the sopranino in E♭. The concept of another size of saxophone, even smaller and higher than the sopranino, was first realized in 1960 as a sopranissimo saxophone, in B♭ a fifth higher than the sopranino. Hand-made in curved form by Brussels-based maker Robert Vanlinthout, it measured barely 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long.^[2]

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

Construction

Main article: Saxophone § Construction

The soprillo is pitched in B♭ and is 33 cm (13 in) long with the mouthpiece attached. Compared to a soprano saxophone, the soprillo is pitched one octave higher and is half the length.^[3] Constructing such a small saxophone presents several challenges. The keywork only extends to a written E♭₆ (sounding D♭₇) rather than F or F♯ like most saxophones, and the upper octave key has to be placed on the mouthpiece.^[4]

The very small mouthpiece requires a correspondingly small reed and a tightly focused embouchure, making the soprillo difficult to play, particularly in its upper register. There is very little demand for soprillos, reducing the economy of scale and making the soprillo more expensive than more common saxophones like the alto or tenor.^[5] The Eppelsheim soprillo is the only piccolo-sized saxophone manufactured.^[1]

Performance and repertoire

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.^[6] Saxophonists Vinny Golia, Jay C. Easton and Berni Attilio also perform and record on soprillo.^[7]