Serpent & Ophicleide: History and Images

Gallegos choir practice

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, [...]

Quirky Images: Trombone and Worms

It’s not what you think. Jules Worms was a French artist who lived from 1832 to 1914. Both of the below images by him were recently added to the 19th century timeline (2nd half), and both are a bit quirky: 1860—Paris, France: Jules Worms depicts a somewhat villainous-looking trombonist in Le cabaret du Lapin-Blanc, an art [...]