Adolphe Sax
Antoine-Joseph Sax was born on 6 November 1814, in Dinant, in what is now Belgium, to Charles-Joseph Sax and his wife. While his given name was Antoine-Joseph, he was referred to as Adolphe from childhood. His father and mother were instrument designers themselves, who made several changes to the design of the French horn. Adolphe began to make his own instruments at an early age, entering two of his flutes and a clarinet into a competition at the age of 15. He subsequently studied performance on those two instruments as well as voice at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.
Friedrich Sorge
Friedrich Adolph Sorge was born on 9 November 1828 in Bethau, Saxony, Germany, son of the Reverend Georg Sorge and Hedwig Lange.
His father was a free-thinking person, and often gave shelter to Polish revolutionaries travelling from France and Belgium to Poland.
He was 19 when the revolutions of 1848 in the German states began.
He joined a group of armed revolutionaries in Saxony, but they were quickly suppressed by Pomeranian troops and Sorge was forced to take refuge in Switzerland.
He returned to Germany and joined the Karlsruhe Freikorp. His unit fought the Prussians in Baden and the Palatinate, losing both times.
In June 1849 Sorge again took refuge in Switzerland.