Melody for 200 Trombones: Caricatures by J.J. Grandville

July 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I recently added some images by J. J. Grandville (1803-1847; original name: Jean-Ignace-Isidore Gérard), a famous French caricaturist who frequently portrays musical subjects, to the 19th century timeline (1st half). The four Grandville images that include trombone, shown below, represent something of a shift in iconography, and perhaps the way trombone is seen by the public at large. Throughout much of its history, of course, the trombone is depicted as a sacred instrument; see, for example, posts such as Perching on the Pipes and Trombone and Altarpieces, as well as those including angel musicians in general. However, it is during the period that Grandville is active (early-mid 19th century) that trombones begin to be depicted more and more in the context of caricatures or other humorous settings. From the sublime to the ridiculous? You be the judge. (For all references, see Trombone History Bibliography.)

1828—Paris, France: Caricaturist J. J. Grandville depicts a country dance in his lithograph, Sundays of a Good [Middle-Class] Citizen. At the front-center of the orchestra is a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (Fromrich 29).

1844—France: Famous caricaturist Jean-Ignace-Isidore Gérard (also known as J. J. Grandville) publishes a caricature entitled Melody for 200 Trombones in Un autre Monde. A parody of perceived overuse of brass in contemporary music, it depicts 2 long lines of trombonists, this first one on the left having a slide so long it requires a trap door. The caption instructs that the piece be played “with fire, fortissimo, repeated 300 times, then louder still” (see below image; public domain) (Thomson 61; Fromrich 134).

1844—France: Another illustration by J. J. Grandville in Un autre Monde depicts a Concert of Steam (Concert a la vapeur) in response to a prediction about steam changing the world. Included in the “steam orchestra” is a trombone (see below image; public domain) (Fromrich 133).

1845—Paris, France: A caricature by J. J. Grandville depicts Berlioz conducting a monstrous orchestra that includes a cannon and at least 7 trombones (see below image; public domain) (Hindley 252).

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2 French Rear-facing Trombones

June 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Added the following 2 entries to the Trombone History Timeline: 19th century (first half). Iconography seems to suggest that the rear-facing trombone was quite common in the early 19th century. It’s noteworthy, also, that they’re both depictions of dances (see Trombone and The Dance, part 1 and part 2 for more on this).

c. 1820—France: An etching titled The French Garrison, probably set in Normandy, depicts a group of French soldiers mingling with villagers. A fiddler and a regiment trombonist with a rear-facing instrument provide music for dancing while standing on a makeshift stage (see below detail and full image; public domain) (Fromrich 24).

1828—Paris, France: Caricaturist J. J. Grandville depicts a country dance in his lithograph, Sundays of a Good [Middle-Class] Citizen. At the front-center of the orchestra is a rear-facing trombone (see below detail and full image; public domain) (Fromrich 29).

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Missing Something? Bell-less Trombones in Art

June 20, 2010 By 3 Comments

The slide is one of the most identifiable visual characteristics of the trombone in artwork. However, when a slide turns up without a bell, it can be problematic. Could it still be a trombone? Are we trying too hard to make it a trombone? Was it just artist error? Artistic license? A mistake in a restoration process? A literal representation of some unusual permutation of the trombone? An obscured area of the painting? Some other instrument? They’re all possibilities, of course.

I am not going to try to come to any real conclusions with this post, but I would suggest the early rear-facing trombone as one possibility. There are at least two iconographical examples of rear-facing trombones from the 17th century or earlier (see here), as well as many others from the 19th century (see here). In the case of the first three examples below with no apparent bells, the bell on a rear-facing instrument could easily be obscured by the player’s head and/or other parts of the image, such as cap, halo, and wings. In the final example, from the 19th century, the bell is very likely obscured by the player’s helmet; there are multiple other examples of rear-facing trombones in iconography of this precise period and region.

c. 1474—Asciano, Italy: Matteo di Giovanni’s The Assumption of the Virgin, the center panel of an altarpiece in S. Agostino, includes what may be an angel-trombonist along with several other angel-musicians. The instrument has what appears to be a slide but no visible bell (see below detail and full image; public domain) (Belán 111).

1503-1529—Spain: Joan Gascó’s painting, God the Father and the nine angelic choirs, includes what appears to be a trombone-playing angel, grouped with 2 other wind-playing angels, although no bell is apparent on the trombone (see below detail and full image below that; public domain) (Ballester).

1598-1606—Valencia, Spain: Bartolomé Matarana paints a fresco of angel musicians in the the church of Real Colegio–Seminario de Corpus Christi that includes what are probably 2 trombones. Only the slide portions are obvious, although possible bell flares can be seen upon close inspection (see details and full image below) (Olson, Angel Musicians).

c. 1850—Brussels, Belgium: Musicien et trompette de cuirassiers, a lithograph by Henri Hendrickx, portrays a Belgian infantry musician playing on what may be a rear-facing trombone, the bell obscured by the player’s helmet (see below image; public domain) (Bibliotheque royale Albert I; Wangermée vol. 2, 263). See other Belgian rear-facing trombones from the same time period at this post: Belgian Military Trombonists.

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Hi Ho, Brass! Trombones on Horseback

May 21, 2010 By 1 Comment

Ever tried playing the trombone on horseback? A pretty contorted affair, one would think. There are, however, several visual depictions throughout trombone history of trombonists on horseback. I recently added one such image of a military musician to the 19th century timeline. The earliest two pictures of trombones on horseback, which date from the early 16th century, are also the most famous. They originate from the series of engravings, The Triumph of Maximilian, which are primarily by artist Hans Burgkmair. Much has been said about the fact that the Maximilian depictions are not literal. The others pictures, which are military illustrations, are probably more literal. Here they are, below, along with their respective captions from the Timeline. I’m also including an 1825 Timeline caption from a British traveler in Belgium who recorded hearing a “military horse band” that included trombones. Hi ho, Brass!

1526—In the series of woodcuts titled The Triumph of Maximilian, executed primarily by artist Hans Burgkmair, 2 images (Plates 77 and 78) include trombones on horseback. The instructions for the engravings read, “After them shall come on horseback Burgundian fifers in the Burgundian colors with bombardons, shawms, and rauschpfeiffen. And they shall all be wearing laurel wreaths.” See above 2 images (Burgkmair, Triumph 9, plates 77-78; public domain).

1810—Paris, France: A rendering of a military musician from the 1st Hussars depicts a trombone with a dragon-shaped bell (buccin) (see above image; public domain).

1825—Belgium: Sir George Smart, a British traveler, observes, “We heard a very good military horse band which was all trumpets, bugles and tromboni” (Smart 66).

1826—Broek, Netherlands: March of the Cavalry, a “catchpenny” military print that features numerous musicians, includes a rear-facing trombone on horseback (see above detail of trombonist; public domain).

c. 1829—Mainz, Germany: Artist Joseph Scholz depicts a group of 4 military musicians of the Prussian Army on horseback in an image titled Preussisches Heer–Garde Artillerie (see above detail of trombonist; public domain) (Ryan, Paper Soldiers).

c. 1845—An illustration by M.A. Hayes depicting the 8th King’s Royal Irish Hussars, a cavalry regiment of the British Army, includes 2 trombonists on horseback (see above image; public domain).

c. 1850—Brussels, Belgium: Musicien et trompette de cuirassiers, a lithograph by Henri Hendrickx, portrays a Belgian infantry musician playing on what may be a rear-facing trombone, the bell obscured by the player’s helmet (see above image; public domain) (Bibliotheque royale Albert I; Wangermée vol. 2, 263).

1859—A sketch by Aldershot of musicians of the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, a cavalry regiment in the British Army, shows a trombonist among a number of military musicians riding on horseback (see upper-middle of above image; public domain).

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Headed Backward: Historical Images of Rear-Facing Trombones

April 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I have recently added three more images to the Trombone History Timeline that feature rear-facing trombones. These trombones have sometimes been called over-the-shoulder instruments, a term that works for other brass instruments but is somewhat lacking for trombones: aren’t all standard trombones, in fact, over-the-shoulder (with the bend of the bell section extending over the shoulder)? Thus I prefer the term rear-facing trombone. At any rate, I have posted before about these interesting instruments (see the rear-facing trombone tag). Below are the most recent additions, all three from France. It is surprising to see how common the instruments actually are in trombone iconography, especially in the 19th century. For an extant example of such an instrument held in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, see here.

c. 1795—France: Trombonist André Braun publishes Gamme et Méthode pour let Trombones, the first complete modern method book written specifically for trombone. It also contains the first description of a tenor trombone in B-flat with seven chromatic positions (see below image; public domain). It specifically states that the alto trombone is in E-flat, the tenor and bass in B-flat. An influential method book–it informs several later methods, including Fröhlich and Nemetz–the method book also provides an alto trombone position chart clearly showing an instrument in E-flat (see Alto Trombone History Timeline). Editions of the method are subsequently published in German and Italian (Weiner, Braun; Weiner, Braun Revisited; Dudgeon 194).

1847—Paris, France: An article in the periodical L’Illustration titled “Le Pupitre de Palestrina” (“The Desk of Palestrina”) is accompanied by an image by Henri Valentin that includes a rear-facing trombone in what appears to be an attempt at a historical representation of a Palestrina-era performance (see far left of below image; public domain) (L’Illustration, vol. 9, May 1, 1847, p. 137).

1853—Paris, France: The illustrated newspaper L’Illustration publishes a graphic, “La danse aux camps,” depicting a military celebration with a four-man band in the upper-left that includes what appears to be a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (L’Illustration, vol. 22, July 23, 1853, p. 64).

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Trombone History: A Soldier I Will Be

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Recently added quite a few images to the trombone history timeline (19th century–1st half, 19th century–2nd half, 20th century) related to the trombone in the military. Here they are, below, along with their captions. As always, for sources, see the Trombone History Bibliography.

1804-1815—France: A military illustration labeled French Napoleonic Band depicts the foot grenadiers of the 1st Regimental Imperial Army Old Guard, including two trombonists marching with buccin-style instruments (trombones with dragon-head bells) (see above detail and full image; public domain) (Cassin-Scott and Fabb 15).

c. 1839—Fribourg, Switzerland: Musica militaris, a print depicting musicians of the boarding school of Fribourg, features a percussionist and a trombonist with a rear-facing bell (see above image; public domain) (Bovet and Curchod 28). For a similar image from Belgium, see 1831, above.

1840—France: A print depicting a Napoleonic military band includes what could be a buccin-style trombone (dragon-head bell) (see far left of above image; public domain) (Brenet 125). For a similar image, see 1804-1815, above.

1908—England: Military illustrator John McNeil (b. 1872) paints numerous military watercolors for Gale & Polden, including two that feature trombone: Highland Light Infantry (see upper image; Harrington 10) and Worcester Regiment (see above lower; Harrington 39) (images public domain).

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Belgian Military Trombonists

February 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Added another Belgian military trombone image (Madou, 1832) to the 19th century timeline (1st half). It’s shown below, along with the other entries from the timeline related to Belgian military trombonists. There are 4 images total, all of them from the first half of the century and all showing rear-facing trombones. An interesting little slice of the history of the trombone.

1824—Belgium: A pen and ink drawing of a Belgian military trombonist depicts a player in full military regalia with a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (New York Public Library Digital Gallery).

1825—Belgium: Sir George Smart, a British traveler, observes, “We heard a very good military horse band which was all trumpets, bugles and tromboni” (Smart 66).

1831—Belgium: A lithograph titled Musiciens d’infanterie belge, or “Belgian infantry musicians,” portrays a musician holding what appears to be a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (Bibliotheque royale Albert I; Wangermée vol. 2, 264).

1832—Belgium: A print by Belgian artist Jean-Baptiste Madou titled Officier Garde Civique Premier depicts an officer of the Belgian Civil Guard. Behind the officer stands a military musician who appears to be holding a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (New York Public Library Digital Gallery). For a similar image, see 1831 (above).

c. 1850—Brussels, Belgium: Musicien et trompette de cuirassiers, a lithograph by Henri Hendrickx, portrays a Belgian infantry musician playing on what may be a rear-facing trombone, the bell obscured by the player’s helmet (see below image; public domain) (Bibliotheque royale Albert I; Wangermée vol. 2, 263).

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Trombone History: Early Rear-facing Trombones

November 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Found the below Italian fresco that features a rear-facing (or over-the-shoulder) trombone and added it to the early 17th century timeline. I know of only one other pre-19th century image that clearly shows such an instrument; I’ve included that image in this post as well (1578). Also included at the end of the post (since the entries are in reverse-chronological order) is what is perhaps a proto-rear-facing trombone from c. 1405. The fresco from c. 1615 is also of interest because it has only recently been restored (and, indeed, at the base of the photograph you can see what appear to be some restoration materials left in the picture). Also noteworthy in the painting is the trombone’s bell flare, which is more prominent than usual for this early date. Finally, as I have mentioned several times, it is quite arresting just how many trombone images originate from the 50-year period of 1601-1650.

c. 1615—Cislago, Italy: The Church of Santa Maria della Neve contains an anonymous fresco lunette featuring several angel musicians, including a trombonist. The trombone is particularly noteworthy because it is a rear-facing (sometimes called “over-the-shoulder”) instrument, an unusual configuration for this early date (see below image; public domain) (Morandi; Farioli). For another early rear-facing instrument, see 1578 in the 16th century timeline, where a cherub-trombonist is featured. In later centuries, particularly the 19th century, rear-facing trombones become much more common; the 19th century timeline includes at least 9 such images.

1578—Antwerp, Belgium: A set of masses by George de La Hele includes an image–an initial D in front of a group of cherub musicians–that features a rear-facing trombone being played by a cherub (also rear-facing) (see below image; public domain; Wangermée vol. 1 167).c. 1405—Paris, France: A grotesque from the Hours of Charles the Noble plays what is perhaps a proto-rear-facing trombone; there is no slide, but the similarity in general shape is obvious (see below image; public domain) (RIdIM/RCMI Inventory No. 8, p. 21).

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Trombone History: Pity and Donations

August 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Added the following image and its caption to the 19th Century Trombone History Timeline (2nd half). There are two things that are interesting about the print, in my opinion. The first is that the instrument is a rear-facing trombone, which, it turns out, is surprisingly common in 19th century iconography. The second is that it belongs to a group of caricatures or otherwise humorous images from the 19th century that seem to reflect something of a shift in the way people view the trombone (see J.J. Grandville, 1845; Honoré Daumier, 1865; A. Forester, 1896; and the cover of “She was Born in Old Virginia,” 1899).

Silhouettes1871—Paris, France: A lithograph titled A propos de la crise monétaire (“about the currency crisis”) from a series of prints by French caricaturist B. Moloch (B. Colomb) called Les Silhouettes de 1871 depicts a woman playing a rear-facing trombone, along with a well-dressed man wearing a sign asking for pity and donations (see facing image; public domain).

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