Dutch Trombonist on Horseback

marche de la cavalerie

Added the below image (just the detail) and its caption to the 19th century timeline (first half). I will also be adding it to the HubPages article, Backward Advances: Rear-Facing Trombones Throughout History, which already has some 36 visual examples. Finally, it wall also be added to one other odd little collection, Hi Ho, Brass! [...]

Rear-Facing Italian Trombone

Here’s a rear-facing trombone from Italy that I just added to the 19th-century timeline (1st half) and will shortly be adding to the HubPages article, Backward Advances: Rear-Facing Trombones throughout History. If visual depictions are any indication at all, rear-facing trombones were surprisingly prominent in the 19th century. 1821—Italy: A depiction of musicians from the [...]

Serpent on the Wall

Just added the below caption and image to the post, Serpent & Ophicleide: History and Images. 1812—Paris, France: Carle Vernet, a leading French military artist, is commissioned to provide paintings of Napoleon’s new military uniforms for use by the military and its tailors. Among the series of paintings, assembled in the collection Le Grande Armée de [...]

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, [...]

2 French Rear-facing Trombones

Added the following 2 entries to the Trombone History Timeline: 19th century (first half). Iconography seems to suggest that the rear-facing trombone was quite common in the early 19th century. It’s noteworthy, also, that they’re both depictions of dances (see Trombone and The Dance, part 1 and part 2 for more on this). c. 1820—France: [...]

Missing Something? Bell-less Trombones in Art

matarana detail 1

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 [...]

Hi Ho, Brass! Trombones on Horseback

Max 78

Ever tried playing the trombone on horseback? A pretty contorted affair, one would think. There are, however, several visual depictions throughout trombone history of trombonists on horseback. I recently added one such image of a military musician to the 19th century timeline. The earliest two pictures of trombones on horseback, which date from the early [...]

Kilts in the Military: Not Just for Bagpipers

Added the below image/entry to the 19th century timeline (2nd half). The image is related to a fairly large set of military images from the 19th and 20th centuries, many of which contain trombones. c. 1885—Scotland: Military musicians from the The Gordon Highlanders, a British army infantry regiment from 1881 to 1994, are depicted in [...]

Headed Backward: Historical Images of Rear-Facing Trombones

I have recently added three more images to the Trombone History Timeline that feature rear-facing trombones. These trombones have sometimes been called over-the-shoulder instruments, a term that works for other brass instruments but is somewhat lacking for trombones: aren’t all standard trombones, in fact, over-the-shoulder (with the bend of the bell section extending over the [...]

Trombone History: A Soldier I Will Be

Recently added quite a few images to the trombone history timeline (19th century–1st half, 19th century–2nd half, 20th century) related to the trombone in the military. Here they are, below, along with their captions. As always, for sources, see the Trombone History Bibliography. 1804-1815—France: A military illustration labeled French Napoleonic Band depicts the foot grenadiers of [...]