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Adolphe Sax

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Inventor

The Resume

    (November 6, 1814-February 4, 1894)
    Born in Dinant, Belgium
    Birth name was Antoine-Joseph Sax
    Musician and musical instrument designer
    Invented the saxophone (patented in 1846)
    Named Imperial Instrument Maker by Napoleon III (1858)

Why he might be annoying:

    He left Belgium for Paris in protest after a national exhibition refused to give him first prize because he was too young (1841).
    He had a knack for ticking off other musicians.
    Meyerbeer and Donizetti both had to drop plans to incorporate Sax's instruments into their opera scores when the orchestra musicians threatened to walk out.
    He twice went bankrupt (1856,1873).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He got his big break in France when Hector Berlioz wrote a review praising his instruments.
    He convinced the French army to make its military bands brass-dominated after winning a battle of the bands against traditionalists.
    He survived an assassination attempt by rival instrument makers.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 19 Votes: 47.37% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 61 Votes: 72.13% Annoying