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, [...]

Melody for 200 Trombones: Caricatures by J.J. Grandville

Grandville steam

I recently added some images by J. J. Grandville (1803-1847; original name: Jean-Ignace-Isidore Gérard), a famous French caricaturist who frequently portrays musical subjects, to the 19th century timeline (1st half). The four Grandville images that include trombone, shown below, represent something of a shift in iconography, and perhaps the way trombone is seen by the [...]

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: [...]

Trombone and the Dance, Part II

Last week I posted Early Trombone and the Dance, focusing on the dance role of the alta capella, of which the trombone was a regular member. This follow-up post deals with the trombone and dance in more recent trombone history. Once again, I have taken highlights from entries and images found in the Trombone History Timeline. [...]

Early Trombone and the Dance

I recently found the below video, showing a number of different dances in which the trombone serves as a member of what is commonly called the alta capella. Below the video I have added a selection of entries and pictures from the Trombone History Timeline that highlight the trombone’s role in dance music, a major [...]

The Trombone and Death: 16 Requiem Settings

Feeling dark? I recently added quite a few more clips to the Trombone History Timeline, including 16 requiems–musical settings of the requiem mass, or mass for the dead. The trombone has a long history in sacred music in general, requiem settings in particular. It’s noteworthy how frequently and how prominently trombones feature in this very [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Trombonist-Panhandler in 19th Century France

trombone panhandler

Added the below image and caption to the 19th century timeline (2nd half). It is not known whether the trombonist fared any better than Joshua Bell did recently in the NY subway, or whether the “poor dog” is in reference to the trombonist or the actual canine. 1854—Paris, France: A drawing published in the French [...]

Trombone History: Au Conservatoire

Au conservatoire

Added the below image, a depiction of the trombone studio of the Paris Conservatoire in 1886, to the 19th Century timeline (2nd half). The image, originally from the French periodical L’Illustration, is a drawing by Paul Renouard titled Au conservatoire: Classe de trombone, professeur M. Delisse. Paul Delisse was trombone professor at the Paris Conservatoire [...]