The Trombone in Baroque Poland

jasna gora

In the early 17th century, Praetorius mentioned that there was a virtuoso tenor trombone player in Poland who could play as high as a cornetto and as low as a bass trombone. Aside from that reference, one doesn’t hear a lot about Poland in the early history of the trombone. However, judging by Barbara Przybyszewska-Jarminska’s The History [...]

Trombone in Bavarian Abbey

Just added the below image and entry to the Trombone History Timeline (18th century). Interesting visual perspective—and definitely an unorthodox grip if it’s a trombone.   c. 1705—Irsee, Germany (near Kaufbeuren): A fresco by Magnus Remy (1674-1734) decorating the ceiling of Irsee Abbey features angels playing various brass instruments, including what appears to be a [...]

Baroque Serpent and Rear-Facing Trombone

7325 detail

Yesterday I added the below entry and image to the Trombone History Timeline (17th century—2nd half). I will also be adding it to the article Backward Advances: Rear-Facing Trombones Throughout History, as well as the blog post Serpent & Ophicleide: History and Images (notice the serpent on the far right of the full image).   [...]

Curious Trombone History Image

Added the below entry and images to the Trombone History Timeline, 17th century (first half). The instrument most clearly resembles a trombone, although the left-hand grip and the fact that the rear bow doesn’t extend behind the head is obviously not right. It looks like the artist had a tendency to paint the trombone/trumpet this [...]

Trombone in Concert Scenes from the Early 17th Century

I recently added the first image/entry shown below to the Trombone History Timeline (17th century–first half). The painting is noteworthy for three reasons, in my opinion: 1) the performers appear to be upper-class, 2) the trombonist is female, and 3) it bears at least a passing resemblance to two other trombone paintings, also from the [...]

Angel Musicians of Florence’s Santissima Annunziata

Volterrano detail

Two weeks ago I added the below trombone history image & caption to the 17th century timeline (1st half), as well as posting The Evolution of a Trombone Painting, a blog post that included not only the painting, but several sketches that preceded it. 1644—Florence, Italy: Il Volterrano (also known variously as Baldassare Franceschini and [...]

Canvas, Paper, Silver, and Glass: St. Cecilia Trombone Image in Many Forms

st cecilia glass

Last week I posted Evolution of a Trombone Painting, which traced a painting through several sketches to fruition in a church fresco. This new post similarly shows several permutations of an image, though in this case, the images span a longer period of time, as they are copied by various artists. They also encompass an [...]

New Timeline Image: Trombone and Serpent Together

Added the following somewhat unusual depiction of a trombone player and serpent player together to the 17th century timeline (first half). The crossed legs, as in the images in this earlier post, would have never made it past my grade school band director! c. 1630—Rome, Italy: An etching from the series Figure con instrumenti musicali [...]

The Evolution of a Trombone Painting

Volterrano fresco

Several weeks ago I blogged about a red chalk drawing, recently added to the Trombone Timeline, by an artist named Il Volterrano (also known variously as Baldassare Franceschini and Franceschini Baldassare detto Volterrano). The image, a preparatory drawing for a 17th-century Florentine fresco, features trombone prominently among two other angel-musicians (with a possible additional vocalist). Included with the [...]

Trombone and the Art of Illusion

Colonna

Quadratura is a type of illusionistic painting that interacts with a building’s architecture, often extending or altering the actual appearance of the architecture. Popular with Baroque artists, it is similar to other illusionistic techniques such as trompe-l’œil, although it tends to refer more to the “opening up” of architectural space and to a more thorough [...]