Why did wind instruments stop evolving?

Abstract

Adolphe Sax invented the last widely spread orchestral wind instrument in 1846, and the saxophone has hardly changed since its inception. Also, outside of classical music, wind instruments have not evolved with very few exceptions in popular music, like the melodica. The latter was popular in the mid 20th century, because it was one of the cheapest instruments with a piano-style keyboard before mass-produced electronic keyboards. Since its inception, jazz drew from traditional orchestral wind instruments that were invented long before jazz came up. They were easily available as they were widely spread in military ensembles. This presentation looks into the factors that stalled the evolution of mainstream wind instruments during the 19th century, such as instrument affordability, practice habits, conservatory education practices, standardization, and cultural identification. While individual instrument makers and musicians continue to develop fundamentally new wind instruments, they no longer exceed experimental status. Instead, widespread innovations now focus on electronic and digital musical instruments.