Engineering:C soprano saxophone

Short description: Musical instrument in the saxophone family

Not to be confused with soprano saxophone or C melody saxophone.

The C soprano saxophone is a member of the saxophone family, invented in 1846. It closely resembles the more common B♭ soprano saxophone but is pitched a whole step higher. Unlike most other saxophones, it is not a transposing instrument, a quality it shares with the C melody saxophone (also called the C tenor saxophone). The C soprano has an identical range to the oboe.

American production of C sopranos commenced at Buescher in 1915 and generally ended in the late 1920s. The same companies that made C melody instruments manufactured C soprano saxophones, and they were marketed to those who wished to perform oboe parts in military bands, vaudeville arrangements, or church hymnals. C sopranos made by some French manufacturers exist but are exceedingly rare.

In the early 2010s, the New Zealand–based company Aquilasax contracted a factory in China to produce C sopranos, with modern keywork but a bore copied from C. G. Conn's 1920s model. These received a mildly positive response from players and technicians who encountered them, but demand was low and only a small number were produced. Aquilasax is now defunct, and the factory that produced these instruments is no longer operational.

C sopranos are the same shape as B♭ sopranos and differ in length by only around 3 centimetres (1.2 in). Nearly all vintage examples are keyed from low B♭ to high E♭. Aquilasax's 2010s models were keyed to high F and FTemplate:Sharp. C soprano saxophones usually have a "C" stamped on them, close by to the serial number.

The range of the standard vintage horn from 1920–1928 is a concert/written B♭₃ to E♭₆. The 2010 models are keyed from B♭₃ to F₆ or F♯₆ (or G₆ for models with a High-G key).

In classical music

The C soprano saxophone was written for by Richard Strauss in his Symphonia Domestica, which included parts for four saxophones, including a soprano saxophone in C.