Like the clarinet, the saxophone is available in several sizes, each with its own characteristic pitch and timbre. The differences of tone quality within the saxophone family are less marked than those within the clarinet family.
The E-flat alto is the standard saxophone. It is relaxed and normal in its sound, whereas the B-flat soprano instrument is rather nasal and grotesquely high in sound. The B-flat tenor saxophone has a nobler depth and a certain heaviness, while the E-flat baritone has an especially deep resonance which can add an illusion of substance and rich depth to woodwind harmony. A feature of the saxophone is a certain uniformity of quality throughout its range.
The saxophone is somewhat handicapped by a relatively sluggish articulation and a certain regularity of tone quality that works against variety of dynamics and register. In small groups it tends to be garishly prominent, but in the large orchestra it tends to disappear into the generality of the full sound without adding to its character. It does have certain unique soloistic expressive potentialities and has been used for a certain soft richness of tone — as in Bizet's L'Arlésienne suite; for a high festive brilliance — as in Ravel's Bolero; and to characterize a certain mawkish wistfulness — as in Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé.
A more complete acquaintance with saxophone tone potentialities can be had by listening analytically to the many uses made of it in jazz and popular recordings.
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