Pierre-Louis Gautrot patented and mass-produced the sarrusophone in 1856. Sarrusophones were originally constructed as double-reed instruments, but single-reed mouthpieces were eventually produced, at least for some of the bigger sizes. It was named after the French bandmaster Pierre-Auguste Sarrus (1813–1876), who is credited with inventing the instrument, though it is unclear whether Sarrus gained monetarily from his involvement with the instrument. The instrument was designed to replace the oboe and bassoon in wind bands since they lacked the carrying power required for outdoor band music at the time.