1982

Stephen Burton, in his orchesration textbook, summarizes the tone and character of the trombone: “The tone of the trombone is more dignified and solemn, though less brilliant, than that of the trumpet….In the lower range, the tone is dark and rich. The tone is remarkably smooth throughout the entire range of the instrument. The trombone has the greatest dynamic range in the orchestra, from the loudest fff, in which a solo trombone can dominate the orchestral tutti, to the vibrant trombone pp. A good fff is possible throughout almost the entire range, although the lowest few notes tend to be weaker. It becomes harder to play p above f1, but a good player can play surprisingly softly in the upper register (Burton 173).