In 1841 a Belgian musician based in Paris decided to invent a musi- cal instrument which would possess a fuller, more vibrant sound than the bass clarinet he usually played.
And the Italians? We have many in both the past and present! Tenor players Max Ionata and Francesco Bearzetti, altoists Fran- cesco Cafiso and Rosario Giuliani, sopranos Stefano Di Battista and Emanuele Cisi and baritones Carlo Actis Dato and Beppe Scardino