, alto in E, tenor in B, baritone in E and bass in B.(It. ròthfono; Ger. Rothphon).
A
double-reed wind instrument of conical bore, made of brass. It closely
resembles both the Sarrusophone and saxophone in terms of fingering,
although it has a somewhat narrower bore, and its outward appearance is like
that of the saxophone. The complete family comprises soprano in B, alto in E, tenor in B, baritone in E and bass in B.
The
rothophone is named after its inventor Friedrich Roth, who in 1908 had also
invented the ‘rothcorno’. The baritone rothophone in E, pitched one octave above the reed
contrabass that it was intended to complement, was first introduced in 1911 at
the International Music Congress in Rome. The following year the
complete family of five sizes was patented by the firm of Fratelli A. & M.
Bottali of Milan, who were to become their principal manufacturer. The Bottali
brothers had in 1898 taken over the workshop of Antonio Bottali's father-in-law
Ferdinando Roth, doubtless a kinsman of Friedrich, which was known for
saxophones and innovative brass instruments. The rothophone, like the
sarrusophone, was intended to replace the oboe and bassoon in wind bands. Its
convenient shape, similar to that of the saxophone, which by then was no longer
protected by patent, meant that the rothophone offered several advantages over
the sarrusophone. It was less heavy and used lighter reeds, and thus enjoyed
some degree of success in Italian bands between the wars.
In 1937, shortly after the demise of Bottali, their successor Orsi advertised the rothophone under the name of ‘saxorusofono’ in an attempt to promote Bottali's unsold stock more successfully. This was an apt name for an instrument possessing features common to both the saxophone and sarrusophone, although as a marketing strategem it was insufficient to revive interest in the rothophone. Although mass-produced and notably cheaper than the sarrusophone, the rothophone failed ever to supplant it. It was never manufactured outside Italy, and its distribution was restricted entirely to that country's sphere of influence. Remaining unknown abroad and represented in few collections, it has hitherto been almost totally ignored in the literature.
MGG2 (‘Doppelrohrblattinstrumente’, §A, VI, 5; A. Masel)
Waterhouse-LangwillI
‘Nouvelles inventions: instrument à vent en métal à anche double’, Musique & instruments (10 Dec 1912)
W. Mang: ‘Tritonikon, Rohrkontrabass, Sarrusophon und Roth(e)fono (Saxorusophono)’, ZI, lix (1939–40), 164–8, 222–36; repr. Holz- und Metallblasinstrumente, ed. G. Dullat (Siegburg, 1986)
G. Joppig: ‘Sarrusophone, Rothphone (Saxorusophone) and Reed Contrabass’, JAMIS, xii (1986) 68–106
WILLIAM WATERHOUSE