Adolphe Sax, the Belgian inventor, patented his family of saxophones in 1846. His invention combined the single reed of the clarinet with the bore and fingering patterns of the oboe, producing the tonal qualities of neither.
The instruments fit well into bands, for their sound blends well with brass and woodwind instruments; their application to the orchestra has been more limited, because saxophones tend to dominate the varied tonal characteristics of that ensemble. Saxophones are made in seven sizes and pitch levels, spanning the entire spectrum of wind-instrument pitches.
The most common are the alto and tenor saxophones. Although composers of "serious" music have written for it, the instrument has been most effectively used in jazz and popular music, and numerous jazz perfomers have risen to fame playing the sax.