> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>> J.S. Bachs Instrumentarium >>> ed. by Ulrich Prinz, Internat. Bachakademie Stuttgart, Schriftenreihe >>> 10 (�49,-) >>> On page 40f. there is a discussion (in the chapter on "tromba") of >>> the three works by JSB with such a clef for the trumpet: BWV 24 (for >>> _Zugtrompete_), 63 (tromba 4) and 71 (tromba 3). > > I have not spotted anyone pointing out that a zugtrompete is in fact a > trombone, not a trumpet! Also, tromba is not one of the diminutive forms, > such as trombetta, which also, but not categorically, indicates a larger > instrument (i.e. trombone, although in earlier times it could be used for > large bore instruments playing the lowest harmonics). >
Discussions whether an instrument is a slide trumpet or a soprano trombone may be carried out, but they are not terribly interesting, if shapes and proportions aren't told of. Some 30+ years ago there was a Berlin based baroque revival ensemble centred around two brethren, the names of whom have escaped me long ago. The younger brother played a replica alto trombone, which he had tuned to D by means of a piece of tubing inserted between the slide and bell sections. The older brother had specialised in zink, which he did very well. He also played tromba da tirarsi, but less convincingly so, as he didn't have have the sense for handling a slide, which it takes quite some woodshedding to achieve. Of course the jerkiness of his movements also were rooted in the fact, that he didn't play a well balanced double slide, but a single slide with a bell sitting on the far end. The advantage of that set up, which allegedly is founded on historical documentation, is, that the positions are as far spread as on a tenor trombone. That should make intonation a less vulnerable. There is a famous photo of the King Oliver band, where there is a soprano trombone lying on the floor: http://www.redhotjazz.com/kingoliver.GIF That one probably was out of a short run, which Conn made 85 or 100 years ago. I never realised any of these being available on the market. Some Parisian maker made soprano trombones at the same time, but I only have seen one sample, which wasn't for sale, when I asked. When I rather soon thereafter saw it in the hands of a new owner I wasn't exactly thrilled. Today the market for soprano trombones is kind of sad. Only Jupiter makes them under the name of slide trumpet. Most often the slides are terrible, but I found a good sample, which I can play in tune. For trombonist it is most important that slides don't hang in the slow-speed phases of the movement, start and brake-down, as that skews the ear-in-the-arm sense. I also have a most unlikely soprano trombone made up of all-Reynolds parts from the hell-box (the box with unusable spare parts) of a funny old guy restoring tubas and sousaphones under the name of Harv's Happy Horns. Harvey is not a first-choice repairman for expensive instruments, but he is not that bad, and the concept of my soprano trombone is his own. He has cut the slide of a massacred tenor trombone to the right length, which is LONGER than half a tenor slide, as there needs to be a sealing length of overlap between inner and outer slides. That introduces two problems: how to get a sufficiently fast and smooth bore progression towards the bell flare where to tune the instrument to other instruments The first problem disallows the normal tuning slide in the bell bow. The Jupiter soprano is tuned where slide and bell are connected. Old Harvey used the original bell-to-slide assembly and soldered it onto the bell bow cum tuning slide. He then took a Reynolds cornet bell and let it slide onto the fat branch of the original tuning slide by mean of a home made socket. The instrument is played via a small trombone mouthpiece as used for dance band tenors and orchestral altos. It is not without inherent problems, as there is no venturi. That puts a great responsibility on the player about being very decisive on intonation matters. Aside from the strong demands on the embouchure, the lack of resistance calls for a very steady air support. The little Reynolds thing is a for-real-instrument much more than the Jupiter, but it also is very exhausting to play. Who shall play a soprano trombone? A trumpet player or a trombonist? Very hard to say, as there are contradicting experiences. My long gone teacher Ole Engler was the solo trombonist of our RSO, which also took him into the cathedral of Copenhagen, which owned a soprano trombone for certain cantatas. Ole hated to play that instrument, which was played via a trumpet mouthpiece. It wrecked his embouchure and he couldn't play it in tune. He told me that himself, so I am speaking behind nobody's back. One day he gave that little thing to his fellow on solo trumpet, Ole Andersen, recently retired to 4th trumpet, who is one of the really big natural talents, but who had absolutely no slide experiences. Which didn't deter him from playing trumpet polkas perfectly in tune, as soon as he got that soprano trombone in his hands. Ole Andersen is not the most educated person, so he wasn't strong in any foreign languages, when he was younger. Celibidache knew about that, but respected him highly anyway. One day maestro Sergiu called the spokesman of the RSO musicians and asked if he would fetch Ole Andersen and then stay as an interpreter. "You are one of the very best solo trumpet players in all of Europe!" When Ole A. had heard the interpretation he said: "Det er helt fint, men sp�rg ham lige om han kan l�ne mig en halvtredser." (That's all fine, but can't you ask him if he can loan me a fifty bill). 50 DKr. was a pretty nice sum for beer those far too many decades ago. I have, live, heard Sergiu, Ole, and Ole do Gaspar la Nuit and Pictures at an Exhibition at the same RSO concert. I will never forget that. Another angle of the soprano trombone situation: A pro trumpeter had rejected the Jupiter soprano, which became mine, because he couldn't play it in tune. I could, but then I use a large (18 mm) horn mouthpiece. The soprano trombone is a wonderful animal, but it isn't exactly practical. Sorry for being an old man getting anecdotal! Klaus _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
