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Jan 1, 1500
From Humble Beginnings
The trombone was developed from the trumpet some time in the 15th century. Originally, it was called the sackbut (French saqueboute which directly translates into "push-Pull"). Unlike the trumpet, it had a large mouthpiece used for playing in a lower octave, and contained a slide instead of valves. There is no recorded inventor of the instrument. The earliest renditions of the Trombone were produced from brass. https://www.britannica.com/art/trombone & https://www.britannica.com/art/sackbut -
Many Variations
Around the 17th century, more variations of the trombone started to appear. These included an alto, bass, and contrabass. the alto had a higher pitch than the regular tenor trombone we see today. The bass has a lower pitch and contrabass even lower than that. These different types of the trombone were used in orchestral settings in order to produce a larger volume from each respective section. http://www.blackdiamondbrass.com/trbhist/tbonehist.htm -
Bigger Bells
In the mid 19th century, the size of the bells was increased to increase the volume that was produced. Many composers relied heavily on trombones, so instead of getting more of them, they just made them louder. This helped produce more emotion in the ensemble. http://www.blackdiamondbrass.com/trbhist/tbonehist.htm -
Introduction to Jazz
The trombone really became popular once it was introduced to jazz. It often was used as harmony for the melody of jazz pieces. This was until a musician known as Tommy Dorsey played it to play solos in the jazz set up. Although no new renditions of the trombone were formed, its uses increased and provided the base of the new genre of music. http://www.blackdiamondbrass.com/trbhist/tbonehist.htm -
Trombones today
Trombones today differ from those in the past. Although these differences are very minor, they are present. Since the 1800's, they have been refined with varying sizes of bells and different variations that sometimes include valves. They are used by musicians in all settings of band. In the past years, no new additions have been made to the trombone, but they are still being refined with expert craftsmanship and advanced technology. http://www.basstrombone.info/bassbone/historike.php
