Evolution of the Trombone

Evolution Of The Trombone

Period: Jan 1, 1300 to Jan 1, 2016

First Horned Instruments

Oct 5, 1400

The first horns were made in the ancient times, before the 14th century. Horns were made of ox and cow horns, which were then hollowed out to make sound. Some horns were made of wood or metal, but had no valves or slides.
Reference: http://trombonepastandfuture.weebly.com/history-of-the-trombone.html

The Sackbut is Invented

Jan 1, 1450

The tenor sackbut, or saqueboute was invented somewhere around the 15th century. It was the first version of the tenor trombone. It is unknown who invented this instrument and the time is also unknown. Most historians think that the sackbut was invented somewhere in the mid 1400s. Reference: http://tromboneworld.weebly.com/trombone-timeline.html

E flat Trombone

Jan 1, 1540

The first E flat trombone was developed in 1540. It was a step up from the sackbut as it had a gradual and bigger bell that made the tone and sound a lot clearer. The improvements made to the trombone made the trombone louder as well. Reference: http://trombonepastandfuture.weebly.com/history-of-the-trombone.html

Incorporation into Orchestras

Oct 29, 1787

The trombone was becoming more famous and many composers were incorporating the instrument into their orchestras. Mozart and Beethoven were two famous composers who had a trombone section in theirs. For example, Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni" had trombone solos as it's finale. Reference: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Don-Giovanni-opera-by-Mozart

Valve Trombone Invented

Oct 5, 1820

The Valve trombone was invented somewhere around 1820 by inventors in Vienna. The Valve trombone was invented to make it easier to play, without having to move a slide. This type of trombone, unfortunately, wasn't very popular in the future and it was nearly impossible to play in tune. During this time, A larger amount of Orchestras began to put trombones into their concerts.
Reference: http://www.lysator.liu.se/~backstrom/trombone.html

B flat/F Trombone Invented

Oct 5, 1839

The B flat trombone was invented in 1839 by C.F Satire. The trombone had an F attachment which was a trigger that could switch the flow of air with a rotary valve. This made alternative slide positioning to make it easier to play. An example of this is the C note. Normally, players would have to stretch their arms far to play it in 7th position; with the F attachment, it could now be played in first position, which was a lot easier. Reference: http://www.lysator.liu.se/~backstrom/trombone.html

Contrabass Trombone

Oct 5, 1870

The contrabass trombone in B flat was invented in 1870. It had a double tubed slide, which was different from any of the previous trombones invented. The contrabass trombone was extremely low in range, and was much like the bass trombones we have today.
Reference: http://trombonepastandfuture.weebly.com/history-of-the-trombone.html