As a musician, have you ever struggled to take in a lot of air in a very short time? This is a common issue for brass, woodwinds, and vocalists. Studies have shown that you can improve this ability by practicing…
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19th Century Orchestra Caricature
I just added the below caption and image to the Trombone History Timeline (19th century: 1826-1850). 1833—An engraving by Charles James Grant features a very unusual looking trombone. The full caption for the engraving reads, “The Royal ‘Feast of Harmony’…
Serpent Sketch
I just added the below caption and image to Serpent & Ophicleide Images: 1600-1850. c. 1770—English artist Nathaniel Dance-Holland sketches Two Musicians, which features a man in powdered wig playing a serpent (see below image; public domain). Image courtesy of Tassos Dimitriadis.
Trombone in Bologna, Italy
Today I added several entries involving trombone in Bologna, Italy to the Trombone History Timeline. Here they are, below. There are many other examples set in Bologna that have already been added to the Timeline, of course. Enjoy! 1508—Bologna, Italy:…
Spread Them Out, Remove Their Wings, and What Do You Get?
We’re talking about musicians here, not a moth dissection project. The first depiction of a group of musicians looks like a somewhat random concert scene or collection of performers. Upon closer examination, it becomes evident that it belongs to a…
Valencian Proto-Trombone
Today I added the below caption and image to the Trombone History Timeline (15th century). This is very early in trombone history; if accepted as an actual trombone, the sculpture rivals the oldest examples of trombone iconography. As with any…
Trombones Above the Door
I added the below caption and image to the Trombone History Timeline, 16th century. c. 1510—Torrijos, Spain: Above the front door of the Colegiata del Santisimo Sacramento de Torrijos is a pair of trombones with slides crossed (see below image; public…
Angel Trombonist in German Hospital
Today I added the below image and caption to the Trombone History Timeline, 17th century (2nd half). c. 1687—Wismar, Germany: The wooden ceiling of the Heiligen Geist Hospital is painted. Among the angel-musicians is an angel playing trombone (see below…
Another Angel Trombonist in Baroque Germany
A few years ago I added this caption and painting to the Trombone History Timeline (1626-1650) c. 1640—Goslar, Germany: A painting at the church of St. Jakobi includes an angel playing trombone (see below image; public domain). After more research,…
Mystery Trombone Image Revealed
Way back in the early years of this website—2009, if you can believe that—I made a post about a black and white image whose origin was a mystery to me. It turns out that the image, shown below, was an…