Saxophones Sax saxes and Lyrist

[peterpick]

i have been in touch with Jean-Jacques from the very valuable french blog 'Luthier-Vents'. he tells me that a fellow called Francois Millereau was making adolphe sax saxophones under license from 1862. he started off working for Besson. his successor in running the company, herman schoenaers, managed production for Lyrist and sold the millereau company to selmer in 1930. Lyrist has no other connection with Adolphe Sax, or with his son Adolphe Auguste Sax. it was set up by a number of folk including the french manufacturer Robert Drouet (excellent saxes handbuilt to order) and Briard soloist of the garde republicaine (whose other members involved in production and design include Hippolyte Poimboeuf (pierret) and Marcel Mule.) Selmer made saxes under the name Millereau for 8 years from 1930-1938. Jean-Jacques opines that the connection between Lyrist and Adolphe Auguste Sax is an invention of 'the Americans'. certainly, the company's formation documents list several shareholders but make no mention of any of the Sax family. i had heard of a connection between Lyrist and Antoine Courtois, but he was not involved in the formation of the company either - he (may have) had instruments built by Lyrist, however, for sale under his own name. i also discover several extraordinary facts about the inventor Adolphe. in the first place his name is really Antoine-Joseph. in addition:
"Over the course of his childhood, he:

• fell from a height of three floors, hit his head on a stone and could barely stand afterwards.
• at the age of three, drank a bowl full of acidic water and later swallowed a pin.
• burnt himself seriously in a gunpowder explosion.
• fell onto a hot cast-iron frying pan, burning his side.
• survived an accidental poisoning from keeping varnished items in his bedroom during the night.
• was hit on the head by a rock
• fell into a river and nearly died

His mother once said that "he's a child condemned to misfortune; he won't live." His neighbors called him "little Sax, the ghost""
my best wishes to all.

 

[saxyjt]

i have been in touch with Jean-Jacques from the very valuable french blog 'Luthier-Vents'

I have been in contact with Jean-Jacques a few times in the past and he identified both my Robert Drouet Super Rex sold by Renoux and my Maurice Booster tenor sold by Robert Martin.

I'm hoping to find an opportunity to visit him down south some day.

His blog is a great source of infos re-french manufactured horns.

 

[peterpick]

I have been in contact with Jean-Jacques a few times in the past and he identified both my Robert Drouet Super Rex sold by Renoux and my Maurice Booster tenor sold by Robert Martin.

he's splendid. interesting that you have a drouet. my drouet tenor is a beauty, great tone. how is the super rex?

 

[DavidUK]

I have been in contact with Jean-Jacques a few times in the past and he identified both my Robert Drouet Super Rex sold by Renoux and my Maurice Booster tenor sold by Robert Martin.

I'm hoping to find an opportunity to visit him down south some day.

His blog is a great source of infos re-french manufactured horns.

Booster? Spell checker I'm guessing?

Good info on Lyrist. I recall finding the Adolphe Sax connection years ago, but as you say it's probably just heresy like a great deal of the more obscure stuff suffers with.

 

[peterpick]

if it's maurice i suppose it must be Boiste. i had a boiste with that elaborate trouser guard, but although it was BEAUTIFULLY made it wouldn't play in tune - large chamber mouthpiece? i also had an 'artiste' series which i sold just a week ago. really good sax.

 

[saxyjt]

Booster? Spell checker I'm guessing?

Yep. It was a Boiste.

interesting that you have a drouet. my drouet tenor is a beauty, great tone. how is the super rex?

My Drouet is beautiful, but not a great player. Maybe simply because I did the overhaul...

 

[peterpick]

i have that problem.... but i got the drouet tenor done by Phillippe Fachin of 'urgences musicales' and it sounds lovely.