1629—Dresden, Germany

Philipp Hainhofer, a visitor from Augsburg, visits the “pipe and instrument chamber” at the Dresden palace (where Heinrich Schütz is Kapellmeister). The chamber includes, among other instruments, “An octave trombone, which they consider a rarity; a quint-terce-tenor trombone; some small discant trombones” (Moser 138). The “discant trombones” mentioned could be alto trombones; 9 years earlier, Praetorius, another German, refers to alto trombone as “discant” trombone (see 1620, above). In addition, Hainhofer describes a specific court player of what is probably an alto trombone: “There were also Elias Püncker, harpist, and Ernst Trost. The latter embellishes on the little trombone whatever he hears played for him on cornets and fiddles” (Moser 139).