Roman Mars

There was a promising career as a musician waiting for him, but he was lured back to the family instrument workshop.

While working alongside his dad, Adolf started experimenting with the instrument he knew best, the clarinet.

So Adolf Sachs experimented with new key work, the metal parts that you press to close the holes.

He also used the science of acoustics to make the placement of those holes more precise.

In other words, the bass clarinet looks a lot like the saxophone eventually would.

There are videos of people playing these on the internet.

This is the sax horn.

And this is the saxotromba.

Although Adolf was churning out a variety of instruments, none of them had been a big enough hit to make him properly rich.

He was one instrument maker among many in Paris, all competing for the attention of orchestras and private buyers.

Because since time immemorial, there has been one tried and true way for an entrepreneur to make a ton of money.

Adolf Sachs wanted to land a military contract.

If cannons and cavalry were how a country demonstrated military prowess, then music was how it showed its cultural might.

And France was lagging behind.

France's military band, on the other hand, was still dominated by woodwind instruments, which are tuneful and elegant, but not loud enough to fill a parade ground.

The ophiclide had this going for it.

It was loud.

But other than that, it was pretty much a dud.

It's a big honking instrument that was difficult to play in tune.

The Afroclad was usually part of the low bass end of the orchestra, where the tuba sits today.