WILL KIMBALL» Albrechtsberger

Alto Trombone Timeline Updates

wkimball — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:11:15 +0000

Many of the entries from the Alto in Treatises page had not yet been included in the Alto Trombone Timeline, so those were added to the timeline. They include many primary sources relevant to alto trombone history, including those by Seyfried/Albrechtsberger, Prout, Barrett, Claus, Schroeder, Vincent, Elson, Ergo, Clappé, Forsyth, Gilson, and White.

Update to Alto in Treatises Page: Summary of Alto Trombone Keys

wkimball — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:30:57 +0000

Made the following update to the Alto in Treatises page, giving a summary of specific keys that writers have historically assigned to the alto trombone. For more on alto trombone keys, see also the Extant Altos page, which lists alto trombones manufactured before 1800, along with their respective keys.

OVERALL KEY TOTALS:

40 D/E-flat

4 F

2 B-flat

1 E

GERMANY: 14 D/E-flat, 1 B-flat

Praetorius (1619)—D

Speer (1697)—D

Niedt (1721)—D

Majer (1729)—D

Christoph and Stössel (1736)—D

Eisel (1738)—D

Koch (1802)—D

Fröhlich (c. 1811)—B-flat/E-flat (contradictory)

Riemann (1882)—E-flat

Saro (1883)—E-flat

Jadassohn (1889)—E-flat

Schroeder (1889)—E-flat

Hofmann (1893)—E-flat

Mayerhoff (1913)—E-flat

UNITED KINGDOM: 10 E-flat, 3 F, 1 E

Bertini (1830)—E-flat

Mandel (1859)—E-flat, E, F

Prout (1877)—E-flat

Stone/Grove (1879-90)—E-flat, F

Hunter (1879-88)—E-flat

Encyclopaedia Britannica (1888)—E-flat, F

Corder (1896)—E-flat

Vincent (1897)—E-flat

Fitzgerald (1902)—E-flat

Forsyth (1913)—E-flat

FRANCE: 5 E-flat

Braun (c. 1795)—E-flat

Kastner (1839)—E-flat

Berlioz (1844)—E-flat

Gevaert (1863)—E-flat

Lavignac (1895)—E-flat

AUSTRIA: 1 E-flat, 1 B-flat

Seyfried/Albrechtsberger (1826)—E-flat

Nemetz (1827)—B-flat

BELGIUM: 3 E-flat

Mahillon (1897)—E-flat

Ergo (1908)—E-flat

Gilson (1921)—E-flat

ITALY: 1 E-flat

Galli (1898)—E-flat

US/CANADA: 6 E-flat, 1 F

Coon (1883)—E-flat

Claus (1884)—E-flat

Olker (1889)—E-flat

Henderson (1899)—E-flat

L. Elson (1900)—E-flat

A. Elson (1922)—F

White (1924)—E-flat

Update to Alto in Treatises Page

wkimball — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:16:35 +0000

Made the below update about Seyfried’s edition of Albrechtsberger’s treatise to the Alto in Treatises page. This is a significant piece of the puzzle in the history of the alto trombone because 1) the original Albrechtsberger treatise does not provide enough information to definitively distinguish the key of the alto trombone, particularly if you acknowledge the relatively-common historical practice of “falset tone” technique–lipping notes–in brass performance practice; 2) Seyfried was in a uniquely qualified position to clarify the issue, given that he was not only a student of Albrechtsberger’s, but he was also a particularly active Viennese composer and conductor who was intimately familiar with Viennese instrumentation practices; and 3) Seyfried’s edition clearly establishes the Viennese alto trombone as an instrument in E-flat.

1826—Vienna, Austria: Ignaz von Seyfried, in his revision of Albrechtsberger’s treatise of 1790 (Sämmtliche Schriften), clarifies the pitch of the alto trombone as E-flat, appending the facing alto trombone position chart (see facing image; public domain) (Albrechtsberger-Seyfried). Not only was Seyfried in the unique position of having been a pupil of Albrechtsberger’s, but he proceeded to become an active Viennese composer and conductor as well. “His versatility,” explains Grove’s, “won him a unique place in Vienna’s musical life.” He regularly conducted at least 2 orchestras in Vienna, supplying them with numerous works himself, and was on friendly terms with many prominent musicians of Vienna, including Mozart and Beethoven. Seyfried conducted the premiere of Fidelio,along with many other early performances of important works of the era (New Grove, Seyfried 184).

Trombone History: Early Trombone Method Books, Other Updates

wkimball — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:35:40 +0000

I continue to add to the Alto in Treatises page. As indicated by the subtitle of the page (treatises, dictionaries, and methods), my criteria are quite broad for this post. I recently added a trio of early trombone method books: Braun (c. 1795), Fröhlich (c. 1811), and Nemetz (1827). I also added info from Praetorius’s Syntagma Musicum II (1619), as well as images from Praetorius (1619), Eisel (1738), and Albrechtsberger (1790). With the numerous other written sources, these help shed light on the role of the alto in trombone history. The document, which spans from 1600 to 1925, now includes well over 50 sources, the majority of them primary sources. Many of these will eventually be added to the general Trombone Timeline.

Alto in Treatises

wkimball — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:23:05 +0000

Trombone History: Added a new page, Alto in Treatises, that gives quotations from more than 45 treatises, dictionaries, and methods, most of them primary sources. It is arranged chronologically and spans from 1600 through the first quarter of the 20th century, offering a compelling view of the role of the alto trombone in trombone history. The sources, taken as a whole, strongly suggest 1) a relatively common instrument, 2) an instrument pitched in the E-flat orbit (D, E-flat, F), and 3) an instrument closely correlated with alto clef.

Facing image: Alto trombone position chart from Albrechtsberger’s treatise, translated by Novello. Positions are shown in reverse order, 6th to 1st.