The tomb of Adolphe Sax, the Belgian-born inventor of the saxophone, in Paris Montmartre Cemetery, is currently in a pitiful state and needs serious maintenance work to save his legacy.
Buried among France and Europe’s biggest historical figures at the emblematic cemetery, the Belgian inventor’s tomb is in serious need of restoration, according to a new Belgian campaign to save it from ruin.
The Adolphe Sax Society in Dinant has launched a crowdfunding campaign to save the crumbling funeral chapel. They say the structure has an unstable base, cracked masonry, water ingress, and a damaged cross.
This monument, which also houses several members of his family, is now in an advanced state of deterioration, "that is almost irreversible".
Until 2002, it was in the possession of Sax’s descendants. However, the last surviving family member stated in his will that the International Adolphe Sax Society in Dinant should become the new owner.
However, this also leads to more responsibility for the legacy organisation.
Montmartre is a listed monument, and all work must be carried out by specialists. Furthermore, €40,000 are required for the restoration and a long-term maintenance contract.
Therefore, Sax’s birthplace, Dinant, is being called upon to help via crowdfunding.
Adolphe Sax's tomb in the Montmartre Cemetery in Paris is falling apart. Credit: International Adolphe Sax Society
The organisation is very active in Dinant, organising many musical activities to support its legacy, including the prestigious International Adolphe Sax Competition.
However, the association is short of funds. The city of Dinant is also not able to pay for the restoration due to the Great Church of Dinant needing saving from ruin as a matter of urgency, reports VRT.
This led to the launch of a crowdfunding campaign, with a target of €40,000. However, the target is still a way off – €15,000 at the time of writing.
"We are calling on musician influencers to help publicise the campaign," the Adolphe Sax Society’s Wendy Boka told VRT.
"Here in Dinant, many brass bands come to play every year. It would be wonderful if they could help. If every saxophonist donated 5 or 10 euros, we’d reach our target in no time," hopes Wendy Boka.
Who is Adolphe Sax?
Adolphe Sax first applied for a patent for his saxophone invention on 21 March 1846 – 180 years ago last Friday – irreversibly changing music forever.
However, his life was not easy. He survived a staggering number of near-death experiences as a child before finding his trade at his father’s workshop. His first invention was an improvement on the bass clarinet, exhibiting it at the 1835 Industrial Exposition in Brussels.
Adolphe Sax statue in Dinant. Credit: Angela Dansby / The Brussels Times
He invented the saxophone in 1841, before moving to Paris in 1842. He applied for a patent but only after he had designed and exhibited a complete series of saxophones - from soprano to baritone.
Unfortunately, this led to a series of rival instrument makers attacking the legitimacy of his patents, with Sax’s legal battles following him until the day he died in Paris, aged 79, on 7 February 1894. He had achieved fame for his creations, but had not been able to escape his financial woes and fell into poverty.
For more about Adolphe Sax, check out our Today in History article about his life and death.
