Here he completed his studies and graduated, winning the first prize both in clarinet and in solfeggio.įollowing his graduation from the Paris Conservatory, Leon Leblanc followed a successful career as a concert clarinetist.

While still in school, Leon Leblanc's outstanding talent was recognized by one of the great French conductors of his day, Phillippe Gaubert, who insisted that Leon be entered in the Paris Conservatory. This fact eventually led Leon to develop the covered tone hole or plateau-key Bb clarinets and alto clarinets, and to further improve the Eb soprano clarinets, so that other young musicians would have a solution to this problem. He began in this order because his fingers were too small to cover the rings on the clarinet. Even before he had reached his teens he had become familiar with virtually every aspect of the instrument-maker's craft.Īs is traditional in the Leblanc family, Leon began his purely musical training at an early age-first on the soprano saxophone and then on the clarinet. Leon Leblanc learned the art of instrument making from his father and mother. He had the rare qualities of brilliance in music, acoustics, instrument design and engineering, that comes along only once in a generation! He was the only active head of a musical instrument manufacturing company that won the coveted 'Grand Prix' at the Paris Conservatory. In 1959, Georges and Clemence's son, Leon, was the active head of G. Her technical knowledge of manufacturing processes was undoubtedly greater than the heads of competitive manufacturers. During World War I, Mama Leblanc actually ran the factory while her husband was in the service of his country.

And by his side you would have found his inspiration for all these years, 'Mama' Clemence Leblanc, who worked every day hand-wrapping clarinets with the same care and pride that she had for over fifty years. In 1959, in the Noblet factories in La Couture-Boussey in the French province of Eure, you would have found the grand old gentleman of the French woodwind industry, 'Papa' Georges Leblanc, busily creating new improvements and new models just as he had for over half a century. The Leblancs are a unique combination of musical artistry, acoustical and engineering genius, progressive thought, with a deep-seated dedication to music and musicians. This is a history of the people behind the name Leblanc, a personal account of the most magnificent and respected family in the history of musical instrument manufacturing-a family whose devotion, foresight and ideals are the inspiration of our industry.

Noblet saxophone history