In an unusual move, there’s a crowdfunding campaign on to save the tomb of musical instrument inventor Adolphe Sax from collapse.
Sax, born in Belgium, invented many instruments, but the one that keeps his name alive is the saxophone in all its varieties. He invented the saxophone in 1841, just before moving to Paris, where he died in 1894, impoverished by endless legal fights defending patents on his instruments.
His tomb, in Montmartre Cemetery, is in serious decay, requiring something over €40,000 to restore it, and the International Adolphe Sax Society has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise it. So far, the campaign has received about €25,000.
Until 2002, the tomb was possessed by Sax’s family descendants, but the last family survivor transferred the ownership in his will, naming the Society, which is headquartered in Dinant, Belgium, where it organizes musical activities, including an international competition for saxophonists.
Photo Credit: International Adolphe Sax Society
