1680—Vienna, Austria

Leopold Christian, Sr. is appointed as a trombonist at the Imperial Court, a position he holds until his death in 1730. He is the patriarch of a large family of trombonists at the court (Wigness 41; Selfridge-Field, Caldara 147). Composer Johann Joseph Fux, in a petition for Leopold’s salary raise, says the following about Christian’s abilities: “Leopold Christian, trombonist, who on his instrument has no equal, and he alone can meet the most difficult execution, I can advise nothing else than to award him 50 florins per month and an additional 10 florins per month for other duties” (Wigness 28).