Trombone

General info:

The trombone is a brass instrument. It is characterised by the telescoping slide mechanism that varies the length of the instrument to change the pitch. There are many variants of the trombone, such as the tenor, alto and bass trombones. A trombone player is often refered to as a trombonist.

History:

Renaissance and Baroque trombones

The origins of the modern trombone dates back to a Renaissance instrument known as the sackbut, which had a similar telescopic slide mechanism. It was first mentioned in the 1400s. In Italy it was (and remains) trombone, which derived from trumpet in the Latin tromba or drompten, used in the Low Countries. In 1487 a writer links the words trompone and sacqueboute and mentions the instrument as playing the contratenor part in a danceband.

The 17th century trombone was smaller than modern trombones, and had a bell that was more conical and less flared. The instrument was used extensively across Europe before fading out in most places across the mid-late 17th century. It was used in outdoor events, in concert and in liturgical settings. There are also some solo pieces written specifically for trombone in the early 17th century. When the sackbut returned to common use again in England in the 18th century, Italian music was so influential that it was known as the "trombone", although other countries used the same name throughout the instrument's history.

Classical trombones

The use of the trombone in the Classical era was mostly limited to Austria, trombone solos has its beginnings with composers such as Leopold Mozart and Johann Ernst Eberlin who were featuring the instrument, often in partnership with a voice.

The construction of the trombone changed relatively little between the Baroque and Classical periods with the most obvious feature being the slightly more flared bell. The first use of the trombone in a symphony was in 1807 in the Symphony in E♭ by the Swedish composer Joachim Nicolas Eggert. Ludwig van Beethoven used the trombone in Symphony No. 5 in C minor (1808), Symphony No. 6 in F major ("Pastoral") and Symphony No. 9 ("Choral").

Romantic trombones

Many composers were directly influenced by Beethoven's use of trombones, and they became fully integrated in the orchestra by the 1840s. Early to mid 19th-century composers included trombones in their operas, symphonies and other orchestral compositions.

The 19th century also saw the erosion of the traditional alto/tenor/bass trombone trio in the orchestra. Oboes and clarinets were paired with trombones. The raison d'être for the trombones remained the same - to support the alto, tenor and bass voices of the chorus (typically in an ecclesiastical setting), whose harmonic moving lines were more difficult to pick out than the melodic soprano line. The inception of trombones into the orchestra forged a close alliance with the trumpets. The trio of two tenor trombones and one bass became standard by about the mid 19th century. Orchestral musicians adopted the trombone version with the widest range that they could easily apply to any of the three trombone parts that typically appeared in scores—the tenor trombone.

The trombone was further improved in the 19th century with the addition of "stockings" at the end of the inner slide to reduce friction, the development of the water key to expel condensation.

Twenthieth-century trombones

The 20th century saw the use of trombones in jazz bands. Nearly all flavors of jazz have used one or more trombones throughout the century. Increases in mouthpiece, bore and bell dimension were also made in this period. The use of computer modeling in trombone manufacturing has allowed for better sonic construction and more consistency between individually produced instruments of the same model.

Range:

The range of the bass trombone extends from Bb1 to Bb4. The tenor trombone is able to play notes from E2 to F5, while the contrabass trombone reaches its highest note at C5.

Role:

Today, the trombone can be found in wind ensembles, concert bands, symphony orchestras, marching bands, military bands, brass bands, and brass choirs. In chamber music, it is used in brass quintets, quartets, or trios, or trombone trios, quartets, or choirs. The size of a trombone choir can vary greatly from five or six to twenty or more members. Trombones are also common in swing, jazz, merengue, salsa (e.g., Jimmy Bosch, Luis Bonilla, and Willie Colón), R&B, ska (e.g., Don Drummond), and New Orleans brass bands. Two tenor trombones and a bass trombone usually plays a four-part harmony with the tuba.

Foreign names:

Posaune ----- German

Trombone ----- French

Trombone ----- Italian

Famous pieces: