On May 15, 2004, at 1:09 PM, Michael Simpson wrote:
Query: What about modern music? If I write a trombone part in alto clef, will it be tacitly understood that it is an alto trombone part?
Absolutely not! If you want an alto trombone, you must specify it in the staff name, after which you may write it in any of the three standard trombone clefs (A, T, or B), though alto clef is traditional. On the other hand I would strongly advise against using the alto clef for any modern trombone part that is not specifically for alto trombone. The "modern" alto trombone was extinct for most of the 20th century, and has lately been revived as part of the historical authenticity movement. If you write for it in a modern piece, it will be seen as a self-conscious archaism ("not that there's anything wrong with that"), just as it would if you wrote for, say, ophicleide.
I can't emphasize too strongly that in *all* periods of trombone music, the clef of the part is not an absolute guide to the instrument required. In all periods, it is expected (unless the composer requests a specific size of trombone by name) that the player will choose an instrument appropriate to the part, regardless of clef.
Andrew Stiller
Kallisti Music Press
http://www.kallistimusic.com/
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