1738—Erfurt, Germany

Johann Philipp Eisel, in his text Musicus autodidactos, oder der sich selbst informirende Musicus, describes the alto trombone as an instrument pitched in D: “What kind of slide positions do an alto and bass have? As anticipated, they also have three positions, which are done in one and the same way as the first ones described. The first position, or to speak more clearly of it, if the trombone is not extended at all, the range has D, A, D, F#, A, D, and in the alto clefs or notes after each other are D, A, D, F#, A, C, D” (Guion, Trombone 43; Eisel 72). Eisel also includes the following about clefs: “What is to be noted concerning the clefs? Nothing more than this, that the alto trombone has the alto clef as prescribed in the parts, where as the quint and quart trombones generally have the bass clef as prescribed in the parts. Whoever understands then that which was stated before will also be able to find their way easily in this” (Guion, Trombone 44; Eisel 72).