Update to Alto in Treatises Page
August 20, 2009 by wkimball · Leave a Comment
Made the below update about Seyfried’s edition of Albrechtsberger’s treatise to the Alto in Treatises page. This is a significant piece of the puzzle in the history of the alto trombone because 1) the original Albrechtsberger treatise does not provide enough information to definitively distinguish the key of the alto trombone, particularly if you acknowledge the relatively-common historical practice of “falset tone” technique–lipping notes–in brass performance practice; 2) Seyfried was in a uniquely qualified position to clarify the issue, given that he was not only a student of Albrechtsberger’s, but he was also a particularly active Viennese composer and conductor who was intimately familiar with Viennese instrumentation practices; and 3) Seyfried’s edition clearly establishes the Viennese alto trombone as an instrument in E-flat.
1826—Vienna, Austria: Ignaz von Seyfried, in his revision of Albrechtsberger’s treatise of 1790 (Sämmtliche Schriften), clarifies the pitch of the alto trombone as E-flat, appending the facing alto trombone position chart (see facing image; public domain) (Albrechtsberger-Seyfried). Not only was Seyfried in the unique position of having been a pupil of Albrechtsberger’s, but he proceeded to become an active Viennese composer and conductor as well. “His versatility,” explains Grove’s, “won him a unique place in Vienna’s musical life.” He regularly conducted at least 2 orchestras in Vienna, supplying them with numerous works himself, and was on friendly terms with many prominent musicians of Vienna, including Mozart and Beethoven. Seyfried conducted the premiere of Fidelio,along with many other early performances of important works of the era (New Grove, Seyfried 184).
The Trombone in 1830
May 22, 2009 by wkimball · Leave a Comment
I just added an entry for the year 1830 to the Trombone History Timeline: Auguste Bertini, an international musician previously active in Italy and France, relocates to England and publishes his New System for… All Musical Instruments, an instruction book for a variety of instruments. He mentions alto, tenor, and bass trombones, the alto apparently pitched in E-flat.
There are several other significant trombone-related events from the year 1830. 1830 is the year that Hector Berlioz writes Symphony Fantastique, of course, a work that employs trombones prominently. Regarding the orchestration of the uppermost trombone part, Berlioz demands, in an early document listing the instrumentation, “The alto trombone part must not be played on a big trombone, as is often done in France: I demand a true alto trombone.”
In Leipzig, Germany, a correspondent for the well-recognized music periodical Allgemeine musikalischeZeitung proclaims, “Truly we live in an age of trombones.” This observation is largely in response to the remarkable solo career of trombonist Carl Queisser, who performs often to great acclaim at Leipzig’s famous Gewandhaus and is a member of the Gewandhaus orchestra. Carl Queisser’s colleague in the orchestra, concertmaster Ferdinand David, later writes the well-known Concertino for Trombone for Queisser.
Gewandhaus
In addition, around the year 1830 some interesting trombone manufacturing events take place. In Austria, Uhlmann, a Viennese brass manufacturer, improves on Riedl’s valve design, making B-flat and G trombones with the double Vienna valve. In Strasbourg, a city on the border of France and Germany, manufacturer Charles Kretzschmann makes a rear-facing trombone, an instrument now held in the Metropolitan Museum. Rear-facing trombones, in fact, enjoy a certain vogue during the century, as a number of graphic representations depict (see 19th Century of the Trombone History Timeline).
Belgian military trombonist
Czech lithograph with 2 rear-facing trombones
(For sources on all of the above information, see Trombone History Timeline and Bibliography.)