The saxophone quartet as a medium is generally thought to have dated from 1928, although earlier works were written for the combination by Jean-Baptiste Singelée (1812–75), including Allegro de Concert (AATB), Quatuor en 4 Parties (SATB) and Grand Quatuor Concertant en 3 Parties (SATB). Another early introduction of the ensemble was by Edouard Lefèbre (1834–1911). He was born in Holland of French parents and was a soloist with the New York based Gilmore band from 1873. The band featured a saxophone quartet in 1878, consisting of Lefèbre, Walrabe, Steckelberg and Schultz. In 1905, Lefèbre established his own quartet, which toured the USA, Alaska, Europe and the Philippines; their repertoire consisted of transcriptions.

The major push to establish the saxophone quartet was by the French virtuoso Marcel Mule, whose ensemble gave its first performance in La Rochelle on 2 December 1928. Le Quatuor de la Musique de la Garde Républicaine consisted of Mule (soprano), René Chaligné (alto), Hippolyte Poimboeuf (tenor) and Georges Chauvet (baritone). When Mule left La Garde in 1936, the group became known as Le Quatuor de Saxophones de Paris, and in 1951, the group took the name Marcel Mule Quartet, under which it was known until its disbandment in 1967. The original grouping remained the same until 1932, and subsequent members were Paul Romby, Fernand L'homme, Georges Charron, Marcel Josse, André Bauchy, Georges Gourdet and Guy Lacour.

With a celebrated figure such as Mule behind the artistic development of the ensemble, the grouping did actually create its own chamber music category. Because of Mule's own soloistic virtuosity and resultant contact with composers, many of these composers were forthcoming with works which formed the basis of the classic French repertoire. The nature of the ensemble was already apparent – well balanced in tessitura like a string quartet, and homogeneous in texture. Mule himself was still experimenting with the introduction of vibrato into classical saxophone performance at this time, and the quartet played for the first four years of its existence without vibrato.