Types of trombones

There are many different types of trombone. The most frequently encountered trombones today are the tenor and bass, though as with other Renaissance instruments such as the recorder, the trombone has been built in every size from piccolo to contrabass (pitch of brass instruments). See trombone for information about the instrument in general.

The contrabass trombone is usually pitched in 12' F a perfect fourth lower than the modern tenor or bass trombone and has been through a number of changes in its history. Its first incarnation during the Renaissance was in 18' B♭ as the "Octav-posaune". During this period it was built as an oversized bass trombone with a long slide and extension handle to reach the lower positions. The innovation of the double slide took place towards the end of this period and was applied to the bass and contrabass trombones. The slide was wound back on itself to produce four tubes, each of which moved in tandem with its partner and halved the usual length of the slide shifts. During the nineteenth century, the contrabass trombone enjoyed a revival and it was constructed according to the double slide principle. At the turn of the 20th century, Conn manufactured a small number of contrabass trombones, of which three are known to survive.

Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (1876) employed the contrabass trombone for the first time in the opera house. D'Indy used this instrument several times; in his Symphony No. 2 in B♭, Op. 57 (1902-3), Jour d'été à la montagne, Op. 61 (1905), Souvenirs, Op. 62 (1906), Symphony No. 3 (Sinfonia Brevis - de bello gallico), Op. 70 (1915), and Poème des rivages, Op. 77 (1919–21). The contrabass was also used in Strauss's Elektra (1908), and Schoenberg's mammoth cantata Gurre-Lieder (1913), with the latter scored for a section of seven trombones including alto and contrabass. Puccini's last opera Turandot (1924) also employed the contrabass trombone, albeit that they were scored for the Italian-valved contrabass instrument (the "Cimbasso"). Although the contrabass trombone has not proven to be a permanent addition to the opera or concert orchestra, and is only required in a small number of mainly 20th century works, it has become increasingly used in film scores in recent years. Pierre Boulez wrote for the contrabass trombone in his work Pli selon pli ("Fold By Fold").

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