1842—Hechingen, Germany

Berlioz, on a tour of Germany, visits Hechingen, where an orchestra is assembled that includes several strong players, but a brass and percussion section that leaves something to be desired. He says, “As to the trumpets, the trombone (there is only one) and the timpanist, whenever they play they make you wish you had asked them not to; their incapacity is total.” Berlioz proceeds with the concert, however, adapting several of his works to a scaled-down orchestra. He says the following about the trombonist’s performance: “The solitary trombone was left to his own devices; but as he wisely confined himself to the notes with which he was thoroughly familiar, such as A flat, D and F, and was careful to avoid all others, his success in the role was almost entirely a silent one” (Berlioz-Cairns 281).