Late-Night Practicing: When the Neighbors Have Had Enough

I’ve enjoyed the good fortune of having some pretty patient family members and neighbors who tolerate my sometimes late-night practice sessions. The below trombonist, on the other hand, seems to have pushed his luck too far. The image and caption can also be found in the 19th century timeline.

 

1838—L’Enragé Musicien, a lithograph by Bourdin after an image by Robert William Buss, depicts a trombone player practicing in the middle of the night (the clock shows 2:30), with neighbors protesting and a scowling portrait of Handel looking on. The trombonist plays on an instrument with a slide extension handle (see below image; public domain) (Goodfriend, Prints and Drawings of Musical Interest).

Trombone in Sacred Music

I just added the below image and caption to the Trombone History Timeline (16th century). Although the image is simpler in several respects, it bears an interesting resemblance to the well-known copperplate engraving by Philippe Galle from 1595 (see 16th century timeline).

c. 1530—Augsburg, Germany: Hans Burgkmair (or his circle) paints a pair of images, Concert of Sacred Music and Concert of Secular Music, on wood panels. Concert of Sacred Music includes trombone and cornetto players performing with a group of singers in front of a large music stand (see below image; public domain).