The C soprano saxophone is a member of the saxophone family. The instrument was 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. However, the C sopranos made by some French manufacturers exceedingly rare.
In the early 2010s, the New Zealandbased 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 . Nearly all vintage examples are keyed from low B to high E. Aquilasax's 2010s models were keyed to high F and F. 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 B3 to E6. The 2010 models are keyed from B3 to F6 or F6 (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.
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