I got a nice note about the site from Adam Woolf, alto and tenor sackbut player in His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts and a number of other prominent early music ensembles. He is currently working on a sackbut tutor, the…
Alto Trombone
Alto Trombone Update: Slide Position Chart
One of the most frequent alto-related requests I get is for a basic alto trombone slide position chart. I finally posted one on the alto trombone page today. Enjoy!
Trombone History: Timeline Updates
Added the following to both the Alto Trombone Timeline and the General Trombone Timeline–19th Century (2nd half): 1891—London, England: Explanatory notes from an exhibition of musical instruments includes the following about the trombone family in England: “The family of trombones…
Alto Trombone Timeline Updates
Many of the entries from the Alto in Treatises page had not yet been included in the Alto Trombone Timeline, so those were added to the timeline. They include many primary sources relevant to alto trombone history, including those by…
Trombone Underfoot: A Possible 17th-Century Alto Trombone Image
Added the below images and caption to the Alto Trombone Timeline. It’s quite a beautiful painting. The other instruments “underfoot” are a shawm and a recorder. The trombone appears to be an alto, given its size relative to the things…
Update to Alto in Treatises Page: Summary of Alto Trombone Keys
Made the following update to the Alto in Treatises page, giving a summary of specific keys that writers have historically assigned to the alto trombone. For more on alto trombone keys, see also the Extant Altos page, which lists alto…
Update to Alto in Treatises Page
Made the below update about Seyfried’s edition of Albrechtsberger’s treatise to the Alto in Treatises page. This is a significant piece of the puzzle in the history of the alto trombone because 1) the original Albrechtsberger treatise does not provide…
Trombone History: More Trombone Iconography
Added the below image and info to the 16th Century Trombone History Timeline. The artist, Cornelis Court, was well known for making engravings that were copies of pre-existing artworks. In this case, the engraving is after a work by Flemish…
A Remarkable Brahms Letter: “genuine little alto trombone”
I recently posted, in both the 19th century timeline (2nd half) and the Alto Trombone Timeline, a remarkable quotation from an 1859 letter written by Johannes Brahms to his friend and fellow-musician, Theodor Avé Lallemant (Avins and Eisinger, “Six unpublished letters from…
Trombone History: Early Trombone Method Books, Other Updates
I continue to add to the Alto in Treatises page. As indicated by the subtitle of the page (treatises, dictionaries, and methods), my criteria are quite broad for this post. I recently added a trio of early trombone method books:…