Would you allow a trombone at your table? There are numerous documented examples from the Renaissance of trombones performing during meals—“at table”—or in connection with various banquets and feasts. Below are some drawn from the Trombone History Timeline (16th century),…
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Trombone in 16th Century Concert Scene
I just added the below image and caption to the Trombone History Timeline (16th century). Enjoy! Late 16th century—Italy: A chalk drawing variously ascribed to Alessandro Allori, Agnolo Bronzino, the circle of Vasari, Baccio Bandinelli, Johannes Stradanus, and Bernardino Campi includes…
Front and Center: Another Trombone-Playing Angel
Today I added the below caption and image to the Trombone History Timeline (16th century). I will also be adding it to Angel Trombonists Throughout History: 56 Images. I think it’s a striking painting that really features the trombone. I…
Alto Trombone History: Two Early References
I recently added the two entries below to the Alto Trombone Timeline. They are especially noteworthy because of their early date. For other information on the alto trombone, see Extant Altos, which shows that fully a quarter of the existing…
Giorgio Vasari and the Renaissance Trombone
I just added the top image and caption (c. 1545) to the 16th century timeline. Giorgio Vasari is a well-known Italian painter, architect, and historian. His book, Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, is one of the most…
3 Views of Renaissance Trombone Painting by Frei Carlos
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…
Missing Something? Bell-less Trombones in Art
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…
How Early Should You Start Playing Trombone? A Young 17th-Century Trombonist
Just added another trombone image to the 17th century timeline (first half). He doesn’t look much older than my one-year-old son! c. 1629—Venice, Italy: Veronese artist Fra Semplice da Verona includes a depiction of a cherub playing trombone in Infant…
This, That, or the Other: Labeling in Early Music
I just finished adding nearly 40 new entries to the 17th century (2nd half) timeline from Charlotte Leonard’s very thorough “The Role of the Trombone and its Affekt in the Lutheran Church Music of Seventeenth Century Saxony and Thuringia: The…
Bethlehem Moravians in Trombone History
The influence of the Moravians on the history of the trombone has been widely documented. For entries in the timeline, for example, see 1754, 1760, 1763, 1765, 1767, 1768, 1770, 1771, 1781, 1783, 1822, 1874, 1903, and 1944. More entries…