Couesnophone
Illustration from the French patent belonging to the manufacturer Couesnon (1924).
The couesnophone, also known as the goofus or queenophone, is a free-reed musical instrument resembling a saxophone. Its reeds vibrate when the desired keys are activated and the player blows through a tube. French manufacturer Couesnon was awarded the patent no. 569294 in 1924 for an instrument that was described as a saxophone jouet (fr. "toy saxophone"). However, the couesnophone is a polyphonic instrument, while the saxophone is monophonic.
Playing the couesnophone
The couesnophone may be held like a saxophone or like a melodica (horizontally), given that the mouthpiece consists of a rubber tube that allows both positions. The keys are set in a layout similar to that of the Hohner early (proper – see ) melodicas, i.e. in two parallel rows: one corresponds to the white keys of a piano keyboard, while the other comprises the black keys.
Performers
The couesnophone was introduced in jazz music by bass saxophonist and vibraphonist Adrian Rollini. The term "goofus" might have been coined by jazz musicians.
References
- Berindei, Mihai (1976). Jazz Dictionary, Scientific and Encyclopaedic Press, Bucharest, p. 110
- Missin, P (2004). Couesnophone or "goofus"
