History of Trombones
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Trombones have been used for more than 500 years, tracing its roots to the sackbut (pictured on the left). The sackbut was very similar to the modern day trombone with a couple exceptions, the main difference is the small bell. Sackbuts had a softer, more flexible sound than the trombone and were used mainly in chamber and religious music. The word trombone was originally used in Italy and the word came from the word tromba, meaning trumpet, and the suffix -one meaning large; thus giving the name the literal meaning large trumpet. When the sackbut became popular in England again in the 1700s, it became known as the trombone instead of the sackbut due to the influence of Italian music. Sackbuts and trombones were not used in symphony until 1807 by Joachim Nicolas Eggert. Ludwig van Beethoven used it a year later in 1808 in the Symphony No.5 in C minor. Beethoven used trombones again in the Symphony No.6 in F major and Symphony No.9, thus influencing other composers into including the trombone into symphony music. By 1840, the trombone was fully integrated to the orchestra. The trombone also changed a lot in the 19th century with the help of Christian Friedrich Sattler, with the widening the bore of the trombone, a wide bell flare, the bell garland (shown below) and other changes. The trombone also improved with the addition of stockings to the inner slide, development of the water key, and the occasional addition of a valve like the F-attachment. In the 20th century, the trombone changed a bit again, with the addition of different materials, new valve types, larger mouthpieces, bore, and bell dimensions.
This is a trombone bell garland. Click the picture below to go back to the home page.