XV–XVI centuries – the birth of the trombone as an ensemble and orchestral instrument

Abstract

An in-depth analysis of the use of the trombone in instrumental music of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, conducted through the prism of a retrospective view, allows us to conclude that the development of the art of orchestral performance on the trombone is determined by the history of orchestral music, as well as the development of the entire instrumental culture. The etymological analysis of the instrument’s name in various European languages provided information about the history of the instrument itself. The stages of the trombone’s evolution in the ensemble and orchestra follow the following logic: the birth of the idea of using the trombone’s timbre and the first attempts to implement it; a period of experimentation and rare use: individual cases of use; repeated use and the subsequent functional stability of use; selection of the best forms of use and the gradual disappearance of the old ones; general use as a result of stable repeatability. In the context of these stages, church and secular ensemble music gradually led to concert music, which served as a motivation for professional mastery of the instrument and further professional performance. Thanks to the joint successes of instrumental masters and performers who “convinced” innovative composers of the expressiveness of the timbre, through the constant search for new possibilities of the instrument and the improvement of the level of performance skills, the natural geographical expansion of the instrument’s use was carried out. It was included in instrumental ensembles of different composition. The development of trombone teaching methods was accompanied by the gradual formation of various performance schools and techniques. This process was particularly active in the Baroque and Classicist eras. During these times, important terms and concepts emerged, such as “baroque playing technique”, “slender expressiveness”, and “decorative phrasing”. The regular inclusion of the trombone in ensemble music allowed it to play an important role in musical ensembles. This instrument went through an evolution from Renaissance ensembles to Baroque, classical and, finally, Romantic orchestras. Important factors in this process were the development of playing techniques, the expansion of the repertoire for the trombone, and its close interaction with other instruments in an orchestral context.