c. 1524—Rome, Italy

The famous artist-musician Benvenuto Cellini performs before Pope Clement VII with a small instrumental ensemble consisting of cornetto, shawm, and trombone. Cellini records the following in his autobiography: “It happened at this time that a certain Gianiacomo, a fifer [piffero] from Cesena and a most admirable musician who was in the Pope’s service, let me know through Lorenzo, a trombonist from Lucca [Lorenzo Trombone Lucchese] who today is in the service of our Duke, that if I wanted to I could help them by playing on my cornett that same day the soprano part of some beautiful motets they had chosen for the Pope’s celebration of Ferragosto. Although I was extremely anxious to complete that beautiful vase I had begun, since music is something marvelous in and of itself and since I was satisfying my old father’s wishes, I was happy to keep them company, and eight days before Ferragosto we spent two hours a day together practicing, so that on the first day of August we went to the Belvedere [the Pope’s gardens and courtyard], and while Pope Clement dined, we played these motets with such precision that the Pope had to admit he had never heard music played more delicately or harmoniously” (Cellini-Bondanella 35; Cellini 52). The word trombone in this passage is sometimes translated as trumpet (see Symonds, Hope, Bull); however, not only does the original Italian clearly indicate trombone (Lorenzo Trombone Lucchese), but the musician named, Lorenzo da Lucca, is a well-documented trombonist under Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, the duke Cellini mentions (Kirkendale, Court Musicians in Florence). The Pope’s description in his praise of the performance is variously translated as exquisitely (Cellini-Bull), delicately (Cellini-Bondanella), sweetly (Cellini-Symonds), and charmingly (Cellini-Cust).