| THE TROMBONE'S PAGE |
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The Trombone has been around for quite a long time. Unknown, or conveniently forgotten, the Romans marched to the calls of different brass instruments. Among these ancestors of our modern brass family was an instrument called the "Buccina". The buccina was about 12 feet in length and vaguely resembled the trombone, however most agree it looked more like the letter "C"! The Romans had mastered the art of bending and shaping metal tubing, however this art was lost with the fall of Rome and not rediscovered unto the Middle Ages. Unfortunately the buccina also disappeared with the fall of Rome.
During the fourteenth century a definite and more familiar ancestor of the trombone(for the unenlightened) was used named the "Sackbut". It appeared in paintings and in manuscripts before the year 1500 and by the end of the fourteenth century appeared in several sizes and ranges. A family of sackbuts similiar to the family of string instruments was in use according to the common performance practices of the day.
The sackbut eventually gave way to the ancient trombones during the early baroque period. At first the trombone was used quite a bit in the sacred music of the Gabrielis, Montiverdi, and others of the Venetian School. In spite of its growing reputation as a church instrument; the trombone for its beautiful, dark, and warm tone color appeared in the score of Montiverdi's opera, "Orfeo". It was thereafter used in ensemble music and opera as a legitimate member of the orchestra. Amadeus, Beethoven, and Berlioz all understood the amazing warmth, beauty, and power of one of the world's greatest instruments.
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(c) Copyright, 1997 Dennis Carpenter