1677—London, England

Francis North includes the following comment about trombone in his A Philosophical Essay of Musick: “In a Sackbut the Lips of a Man do the same office as a Quill does in a Shaume or Hautboys; when the included Air is lengthned, the Tone varies: nevertheless they can produce several Notes that are in Chord to the Tone of the Instrument, by strengthning the blast without lengthning the cavity” (North, Philosophical 6). North also remarks, “The Trumpet not being able to answer a flat Key, the Sackbut as I observed before is made in such manner that it may be lengthned to supply this defect, whereby it will give any Note at the pleasure of him that plays: but when he is to Sound an eighth or fifth above, he never lengthens the Instrument, for without any remove of his hand, the Note easily breaks into those higher Chords” (North, Philosophical 7).