Keyed Bugle - Image 1

Charles Joseph Sax, father of Adolphe Sax, was trained as a joiner and cabinet maker. As a result, it is more than likely that he not only made this keyed bugle, but also its magnificent, inlaid case as well. Veneered with purple-heart and inlays of striped holly, the case depicts images of a six-keyed bugle, a lyre, and leaf tendrils. The name, L. Honbert / A Menin (presumably the name of the owner, Menin being a small town in west Flanders, some 30 miles south of Bruges), is inlaid on the top of the case; below it, the date 1842 is inscribed in ink. Sax, being a woodwind as well as a brass instrument maker, applied his knowledge of woodwind key mechanisms to his keyed brasses. Among other cross-over techniques, Sax introduced cup-shaped keys so they could be filled with stuffed pads, as was common practice on most of his woodwinds.