The Belgian inventor Antoine-Joseph ‘Adolphe’ Sax (6 November 1814 – c. 7 February 1894) was born in Dinant, Belgium. He was the originator of the saxophone as well as several other musical instruments. Sax became something of a footnote in history after his creation was almost forgotten after his death, until it was revived by jazz musicians who barely remembered his name. In his own time, however, Sax made musical headlines. His life story is a rich source of information about music and musical politics in the nineteenth century, full of controversy, public scenes, and dramatic reversals of fortune. Sax’s life, wrote a contemporary observer quoted on the Web site of the inventor’s home city of Dinant, ‘rises to the heights of a social event.’