I recently came across Assumption of the Virgin, the painting from which Musical Angels, a relatively common detail of the Frei Carlos painting, is extracted (see 16th century trombone history timeline). The full painting (the bottom image, below) can be…
Month: February 2011
Trombone History: Two More Early Procession Prints
I just added two more festival book images to the 17th century timeline (1st half). They could really be included in the previous century, since they are documenting an event from 1596, but I included them in the 17th because…
Artist Jim Flora's Magnificent Trombones
Artist Jim Flora (1914-98) created many famous jazz images, including numerous album covers for Columbia Records in the 1940s and 50s. Below are four terrific trombone images that his estate has graciously allowed me to add to the Trombone History…
Perching on the Pipes: Another Trombone and Organ Image
Just over a year ago I compiled a set of numerous images from the Trombone History Timeline of angels playing trombones atop organ pipes. You can see that post here. One of the common factors of those depictions is that they…
The Faintest Hint of a Trombone
The faintest hint of a trombone (not a phrase you often hear) can be seen in the below painting I just added to the 17th century timeline (2nd half). A barely-visible angel playing trombone is found in the middle of…
Polyhymnia, Muse of Trombone?
Earlier today I added a second image of Polyhymnia, muse of sacred poetry and hymns, to the 16th century timeline. The new one, shown below on the right, is an anonymous image held in the Louvre, but it is almost…
Photo of Sousa with Trombone Soloist
I just added the below photograph and caption to the 19th century timeline (2nd half). The photo does not identify the trombonist, although it is well known that Arthur Pryor was a frequent soloist with Sousa, so Pryor is definitely…
Another 17th Century Trombone Print
I just added the lower caption and image to the 17th century timeline (1st half). In several details—the posture and dress of the player, the style of the chair, and the rendering of the trombone—it bears a strong resemblance to…
Paper Serpents
As I mentioned in an earlier post on paper trombonists, an interesting little subset of music history images exists in the form of contemporary 19th-century military figurines. These figurines include military musicians, and, more specifically, serpent players. Although a number…
Paper Trombonists
The popular term paper tiger, indicating something that initially seems threatening but is in reality harmless, does not seem fitting for the trombone in general. If anything, the trombone is musically quite the reverse! There is, however, an interesting collection…