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…
Spain
Wedding Bells: Trombone in Wedding Celebrations
I just added another image to the 19th century timeline (2nd half), another depiction of a wedding celebration that includes trombone (c. 1885, shown below). Wedding celebrations constitute a fairly common theme in trombone history, with a total of 14…
Head of a Dragon, Body of a Trombone
Added another image to the 19th century timeline. This one, a print from France’s L’Illustration, features a buccin, or trombone with a bell in the shape of a dragon head (see 1873, below). The instrument apparently saw its creation and…
Trombone Iconography: Young Trombonists in Five Montserrat Paintings
In my search for images for the Trombone History Timeline I’ve come across some pretty interesting little trends and groupings—trombones in altarpieces, trombones on organ cases, angel-trombonists, trombones in Antwerp, early rear-facing trombones, early female trombonists, etc. Another noteworthy little…
Trombone History: The Trombone and Altarpieces
I recently added the below altarpiece to the 16th century timeline. The religious significance of the early trombone is actually reflected in several altarpieces from the 16th and early 17th centuries; I’ve included 5 others in this blog post, all…
Valve Trombone Image
Added the below image and caption to the 20th Century Timeline. The artist spent the bulk of his career in Paris, so the depiction is as likely to be a French trombonist as a Spanish one. c. 1901—Spanish artist and…
Earliest Depiction of Black Trombonist?
Today I added a color version of the below image, along with a nice detail of the musicians, to the 16th century timeline. An apt example of the trombone in the wind band tradition (alta ensemble, waits, pifferi, Stadtpfeifer), it…