Adolphe sax children
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The Extraordinary Life of Adolph Sax, Inventor of the Saxophone
Image: Le port de Dinan par Isidore Dagnan (vers 1835), coll. Ville de Dinan - Musée de Dinan
Adolphe was influenced by this musical and inventive childhood. The boy learnt singing, flute and clarinet before becoming an apprentice to his father. However, his personal fortune was not straightforward. Colourful stories about his upbringing suggest that there were times when Adolphe’s parents thought he may not live long. A catalogue of misfortune befell the child. He swallowed acidic water when he was just 3 years old, tumbled from a third-floor window, was burned in a gunpowder explosion, fell onto a frying pan (burning his side) and escaped poisoning and asphyxiation when varnished items were left in his bedroom overnight.
His mother is quoted as saying: "He's a child condemned to misfortune; he won't live,". In the family’s local district, he was referred to as "little Sax, the ghost".
First inventions and a struggle for recognition
Adolphe’s first invent
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Today in History: Death of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone
On this day, 7 February 1894, the Belgian inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax, died of pneumonia in Paris, afflicted by poverty.
Adolphe Sax was born in the Walloon city of Dinant on 6 November 1814. His father, Charles-Joseph Sax, was a skilled musical instrument maker who owned a family business, which greatly helped Adolphe develop his trade.
However, the story could have been very different and the saxophone very nearly never saw the light of day. During childhood, Adolphe suffered a staggering number of near-death experiences – his neighbours referred to him as "little Sax, little ghost."
As a toddler, he fell three floors hitting his head against a stone and was believed dead. At the age of three, he drank an entire bowl of acidic water. If that wasn't enough, he was seriously burned in a gunpowder explosion, while also having survived poisoning and asphyxiation – three times – due to varnished items in his bedroom. Another story has him being hit with a cobblestone and falling into a river. Hi
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Inventor of the saxophone
Karel Goetghebeur, born in Ostend in 1978, is the founder and creator behind Adolphe Sax & Cie. As a secondary occupation, he established his saxophone business after he received the exclusive distribution rights of a particular saxophone brand for all of Europe. In 2010, he took a leap of faith and decided to work with saxophones full-time.
Karel Goetghebeur (Bruges, BE)
When at the beginning of 2012, he discovered the possibility to obtain the rights to the name “Adolphe Sax & Cie”, nothing could stop him. Long story short: Along with his American colleague and friend Juan, he visited various factories. They found a factory which liked the concept of an “old idea with modern application”. From that moment onward, the first prototypes were developed, assessed, tested and adjusted.
On 27 September 2012, it was announced to the press in Bruges: “Adolphe Sax & Cie” was a fact!
The “Adolphe Sax & Cie” story is no one-man show. It is teamwork. It’s a great pleasure to collaborate with and to receive advice from our technical team:
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