1581—Nuremberg, Germany

The earliest mouthpiece “that survives apparently with the instrument for which it was made” is a tenor trombone mouthpiece by Anton Schnitzer the Elder. It bears the same mark as an accompanying instrument by Schnitzer, which contains the date 1581 on the bell garland (Palais Lascaris, Nice). In general, based on extant examples, illustrations, and treatises, early mouthpieces have flat rims, shallow cups, and narrow apertures (Herbert, Sackbut 73; Herbert, Trombone 16).