WILL KIMBALL» lithograph

Belgian Military Trombonists

wkimball — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:07:46 +0000

Added another Belgian military trombone image (Madou, 1832) to the 19th century timeline (1st half). It’s shown below, along with the other entries from the timeline related to Belgian military trombonists. There are 4 images total, all of them from the first half of the century and all showing rear-facing trombones. An interesting little slice of the history of the trombone.

1824—Belgium: A pen and ink drawing of a Belgian military trombonist depicts a player in full military regalia with a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (New York Public Library Digital Gallery).

1825—Belgium: Sir George Smart, a British traveler, observes, “We heard a very good military horse band which was all trumpets, bugles and tromboni” (Smart 66).

1831—Belgium: A lithograph titled Musiciens d’infanterie belge, or “Belgian infantry musicians,” portrays a musician holding what appears to be a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (Bibliotheque royale Albert I; Wangermée vol. 2, 264).

1832—Belgium: A print by Belgian artist Jean-Baptiste Madou titled Officier Garde Civique Premier depicts an officer of the Belgian Civil Guard. Behind the officer stands a military musician who appears to be holding a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (New York Public Library Digital Gallery). For a similar image, see 1831 (above).

c. 1850—Brussels, Belgium: Musicien et trompette de cuirassiers, a lithograph by Henri Hendrickx, portrays a Belgian infantry musician playing on what may be a rear-facing trombone, the bell obscured by the player’s helmet (see below image; public domain) (Bibliotheque royale Albert I; Wangermée vol. 2, 263).

Correction: Swiss Rehearsal, not German

wkimball — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:48:47 +0000

Alert reader Chuck Wilson noticed that the flag in the below image did not seem to match the Black Forest region, which I mentioned as the probable setting in an earlier post and in the 19th century timeline (2nd half). Rather, based on the flag, the rehearsal is probably set in Switzerland. Either way, trombonists seem to follow the same behavioral patterns! Thanks, Chuck!

Schloesser, Une Repetition General

Trombone History Image: A Rehearsal

wkimball — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:47:59 +0000

Added another image to the 19th century timeline (2nd half). What is it about trombonists?

c. 1870—Carl Bernhard Schloesser’s Une Repetition General depicts a lively band rehearsal, probably in the Black Forest region. A mixture of young and old players are represented, the trombonist taking a break to refresh himself (see above lithograph by Thielly after Schloesser; public domain).

Update: Alert reader Chuck Wilson points out that the flags shown in the image do not match the Black Forest region of Germany; rather, the painting is probably set in the Swiss canton of Neuchatel.

Trombone History: Marguerite Dufay, Parisian Music Hall Trombonist

wkimball — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:25:06 +0000

In 1899, Louis Anquetin (1861-1932), a respected anti-Impressionist artist, published this lithograph of trombonist Marguerite Dufay. Part of the “Les Maitre de L’Affiches” series, it portrays a woman categorized among comique excentrique entertainers of the popular Parisian music cafes. Marguerite Dufay is said to have performed throughout Paris at its many music halls. It is not known whether she was also a skilled arm wrestler, although it would appear likely (sources: Charles Hiatt, Picture Posters: A Short History, p. 113; Ervine Metzl, The Poster: Its History and Its Art, p. 50).