I recently added the below image of a wind band from the Seville Cathedral (1564) to the Trombone History Timeline (16th century). This image brought to mind a discussion in a book I’ve been reading regarding exactly when, in the history of the trombone, players began reading from printed music. Here is the assertion: Speaking [...]
Where’s Waldo? Find the 3 Trombonists!
August 19, 2010 By 2 Comments
I recently added the below caption and image to the Trombone History Timeline (17th century–first half). Rather than make it easy here and include the details that clearly show the three trombonists, as a little challenge, I am only including the wide view of the ceiling. See if you can find all three trombonists (hint: [...]
Trombone History: A Mischievous Trombonist
July 27, 2010 By 1 Comment
Serpent & Ophicleide: History and Images
July 15, 2010 By 3 Comments
I recently came across two humorous ophicleide images from 19th century France (1847 and 1862, below) while doing some trombone history research. The ophicleide, by the way, is a fellow low brass instrument—a 19th century invention that is considered a predecessor to the modern tuba. An extension of the keyed bugle into the bass register, [...]
Angel Musicians of Florence’s Santissima Annunziata
June 26, 2010 By 1 Comment
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 [...]
Missing Something? Bell-less Trombones in Art
June 20, 2010 By 3 Comments
The slide is one of the most identifiable visual characteristics of the trombone in artwork. However, when a slide turns up without a bell, it can be problematic. Could it still be a trombone? Are we trying too hard to make it a trombone? Was it just artist error? Artistic license? A mistake in a [...]
The Evolution of a Trombone Painting
June 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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
May 19, 2010 By 2 Comments
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 [...]