1626—London, England: Francis Bacon says in his Sylva Sylvarum, “All instruments that have either return as trumpets or flexions as cornets, or are drawn up and put from as sackbuts, have a purling [murmuring] sound; but the recorder or flute,…
I recently added the following captions involving Felix Mendelssohn, drawn from three different sources, to the Trombone History Timeline (19th century, 1826-1850). What strikes me about these captions? A few things. First, that Mendelssohn seemed to be of the opinion that…
Here’s the latest addition to the Trombone History Timeline. It is one of many allegorical depictions from the Low Countries that include trombone. The left-hand grip of the trombone is unusual, and the plane of the instrument appears to be incorrect…
1826—A drawing by George Scharf features military musicians playing various instruments, including both serpent and trombone. The writing below the drawing reads, “At the Marine Officers Mess Room, at Woolwich, during Dinner” (see below image; public domain) (British Museum). 1826—London: The…
A history of the trombone in timeline form. For sources see Trombone History Bibliography. _______________ Early 1600s—Kassel, Germany: A five-part pavan by Landgrave Moritz of Hesse-Kassel specifies four parts: Fiffaro, Cornetto, Trombone, and dolzano. Landgrave Moritz, incidentally, is the same man…
A history of the trombone in timeline form. For sources see Trombone History Bibliography. _______________ Early 16th century—Florence, Italy: Canto di lanzi che suonano, a carnival song by Giovambattista dell’Ottonaio, makes multiple references to trombone, with lyrics featuring extensive double…
A history of the trombone in timeline form. For sources see Trombone History Bibliography. _______________ 1850s—Vienna, Austria: K.K. Ungar: Regiments Feldmusik, a print published by Anton Paterrno, includes both a standard trombone and a rear-facing trombone (see detail and full…
Professional etiquette is one of those subjects that, to a certain extent, people just pick up along the way. Below are a few bits of advice from my own experience that might help jump-start the process and save some grief….