orig. Antoine-Joseph Sax
born Nov. 6, 1814, Dinant, Belg.
died Feb. 7, 1894, Paris, France
Belgian instrument maker.
Son of an accomplished instrument maker, he worked for his father until 1842, making improvements on the clarinet and bass clarinet. He then set up shop in Paris, supported by musicians such as Hector Berlioz and Fromental Halévy (17991862) but opposed by French instrument makers; he invented several new families of instruments, including the saxhorns, the saxtrombas, and most successfully, the saxophone s. A fine woodwind player, he taught saxophone at the Paris Conservatoire (185771).