At 8:16 PM -0600 1/20/09, [email protected] wrote:
It all depends on which "big boys" you're talking about. Even in some of those operas you mentioned trombone players sit around and hear everybody else make the piece while they count TACETs. They only play in 2 out of 5 acts of Orfeo (and let's not split hairs over whether or not the opening toccata is part of the first act), 30 seconds or so in Idomoneo, and a few places near the end of Don Giovanni. They are entirely absent from so much of the standard operatic, symphonic, and concerto literature. Lotsa "big boy" stuff with no 'bones at all.
Sure, Aaron, but that's precisely because trombones DID have metaphysical associations, so when they WERE called for in operas it was for those associations and they were only used for those associations. Bach didn't write for trombones (even though they may have been available in the Leipzig Town Band), but he did write for other instruments only when he needed their metaphysical associations, notably his association of the viola da gamba with death. There's a set of Serpent Trombones/Sackbutts in the Cincinnati Art Museum designed not only with serpent heads instead of bells, but with metal tongues in the mouths, designed to rattle when they were played! The were SUPPOSED to sound like Hell!!!
Monteverdi obviously knew all this, and probably his aristocratic audience did as well, so their sudden appearance to announce Orfeus' descent into Hades and across the River Styx was a masterful dramatic gesture. (And no, there were no trombones in the Toccata, just the trumpet corps from the Duke's military establishment who played their little fanfare and then went out for a beer or three! It was when Monteverdi recycled the Toccata for the 1610 Vespers that he called for sackbutts.) Same thing for Mozart: a dramatic gesture. (Don't get trapped in the Community Band mindset that everyone has to be playing all the time!)
And while I'm not entirely convinced about the use of all tenor trombones for early orchestra music as quoted by Ray from someone else, I don't know enough to specifically argue against it. But history suggests the opposite. The OTHER metaphysical association trombones had, besides the association with hell or hades, was with religious music. Composers at LEAST from Schütz (and very likely a century earlier) through Mendelsssohn knew and used that association as well. Mozart called for alto, tenor and bass doubling the alto, tenor and bass choral lines in many of his sacred works, and the only reason Mendeslssohn used trombones in his "Reformation" symphony was because of that religious reference.
And finally, let's not forget that the earlier instruments were not anything like modern trombones, but were more like sackbutts (even though the Italians used the term "trombone," or "big trumpet," from the beginning): very narrow bore, very small bells, and tone quality that blended beautifully with voices instead of blowing them off the stage. The Gabriellis certainly understood that. Early tombones/sackbutts appeared early in the 16th century (or maybe even in the 15th) in a family of small, medium and large sizes, just as other instrument families of the time did. The frottola composer, Bartolomeo Tromboncino ("Bart who played the little--alto!--trombone") was active from c. 1470-c. 1535! Even the late 17th and early 18th century "brass quintet" music was written for 2 cornetti and alto, tenor, and bass sackbutts. So I would have to see pretty convincing evidence that 19th century orchestras did NOT continue that tradition (although that evidence may indeed exist).
I'm afraid that some symphony players--or at least those who cut their music history classes regularly!--may have a somewhat narrow view of how certain instruments were used in the earlier, pre-symphony days of their popularity. I doubt that anything close to an 8H ever existed prior to the 20th century. My own first trombone, in the early '50s, was a used and very nice small-bore tenor that was pretty typical of the first half of the century. I went from that to an Olds Ambassador tenor, then a King bass (more like a baritone!) I bought from the bass trombonist in the Airmen of Note, and finally the 72H I still have and still play.
John -- John R. Howell, Assoc. Prof. of Music Virginia Tech Department of Music College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A. 24061-0240 Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 (mailto:[email protected]) http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html "We never play anything the same way once." Shelly Manne's definition of jazz musicians. _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
