1941

Nicholas Bessaraboff, writing about European musical instruments for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, comments on bass trombone: “The modern instrument used in the orchestra is a practical compromise forced on players by the wide range of the bass trombone parts. Essentially it is the large bore tenorbass trombone with the Quartventil conveniently located for operation by the left-hand thumb. Although this type of instrument is easier to manipulate than the bass trombone with the swivel handle, the latter type is better in tone, since its proportions can be better chosen than those of the compromise type with the valve. In any case the bass trombone is very fatiguing for the player” (Bessaraboff 191).