Category Archives: Trombone and other brass

The G bass trombone: the short history of a long trombone

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G bass trombone and B-flat tenor trombone

G bass trombone (Boosey & Company, ca. 1923) next to a ordinary tenor trombone for comparison / from eBay auction

The trombone is among the oldest instruments still used in European and American music, but several varieties have a much shorter history. The soprano trombone first appeared in the early to middle 18th century and has been used primarily in the Moravian tradition. The G bass trombone apparently dates only from the early 19th century. It was used only in British music (including colonial holdings such as Australia)—and it lasted barely into the last quarter of the 20th century.

Michael Praetorius’ description trombones in his Syntagma musicum (1619) includes among others the Rechte gemeine Posaun (ordinary, or tenor trombone) and the Quart-Posaun (bass trombone, a trombone pitched a fourth lower than the tenor). The fourth remains the most common relationship of tenor to bass to this day. The modern tenor trombone is in B-flat, so the most common long bass trombone is in F, although we’re likely to call it a contrabass trombone today.

An inventory of instruments from Stuttgart in 1589 mentions Terz-Pusonen, pitched a third lower than the tenor. In other words, they stood in the same relationship to the tenor trombone as a bass trombone in G. Ordinarily at that time, trombonists used crooks to lower the basic pitch of their instruments, but apparently the Stuttgart court preferred to have longer ones made instead. They are outliers, however. Apparently, no one made anything comparable for more than two centuries. Continue reading →

André Lafosse and the end of an era in trombone instruction

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Paris Conservatory trombone class

Au conservatoire: Classe de trombone, professeur M. [Paul] Delisse / drawing by Paul Renouard in the periodical L’Illusation (1886)

André Lafosse published the first edition of his monumental Méthode complète de trombone à coulisse (Complete Method for Slide Trombone) in 1921. He revised it, adding a third volume, in 1946. In 1948, he became professor of trombone at the Paris Conservatory of Music. During his tenure there, he published three more extensive pedagogical works for trombone.

By the time Lafosse retired in 1960, the trombone, its technique, and philosophy of brass instruction had changed drastically. He had resisted all the changes.  His trombone method has more in common with that of Antoine Dieppo, the Conservatory’s first trombone professor, than with any of the important pedagogical treatises that appeared within a decade of his retirement. Continue reading →

Simone Mantia, the trombone virtuoso—and, euphonium, too

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Paul Lavelle, Jane Priscilla Sousa, and Simone Mantia with double-bell euphonium

Screen shot from a YouTube video. Left to right: Paul Lavelle, Jane Priscilla Sousa, Simone Mantia, ca. 1949

Euphonium players might object to the title of this post. After all, Simone Mantia was the leading euphonium soloist of his generation. He played euphonium on most of his best-known performances. On the other hand, he never wrote a book called The Euphonium Virtuoso.

Simone Mantia was born in 1873 in Palermo, Italy. Some sources say that he and his family immigrated to New York when he was 17. However, the only biographical sketch I have found that appeared during his lifetime implies that he arrived in New York when he was 8. In either case, his Italian heritage shaped his first experiences in music.

Italians’ love of opera in the 19th century is well known. Less well known are its numerous wind bands, both military and amateur. At the time of Italian unification, there were about 1,700 of them, with thousands of enthusiastic participants.

Italians adopted the valve trombone as soon as it became available. A few valve trombonists became nationally known as soloists, playing mainly transcriptions and variations on operatic arias. Only near the end of the century did Italian trombonists begin to switch to playing slide trombones.

In the US, therefore, most bands and orchestras used slide trombones, but opera companies that specialized in Italian opera used valve trombones as long as Italians did. When Italian opera companies began to favor slide trombones, American companies began to switch as well.

As a child, Mantia started to play alto horn, an important voice in 19th-century wind bands. He later switched to euphonium and valve trombone, likewise important band instruments. Slide trombone came later under harrowing circumstances. Continue reading →

Frank Holton: trombonist and band instrument manufacturer

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Frank Holton, trombonist and band instrument manufacturer

Frank Holton, ca. 1920

For some reason, they say musicians can’t succeed in business. Frank Holton had a notable career as trombonist, but no one would give him a second thought today if he hadn’t founded a very successful business. With great difficulty and perseverance, he built Frank Holton & Company into one of America’s premier band instrument companies.

Frank Holton was born in 1857 or 1858 (sources vary) in Allegan County, Michigan to a music-loving family. His father, a farmer, sang in the village choir and his mother played organ. It’s not unusual for well-known musicians to come from small towns, but Allegan is special. Not only was Holton born there, but other brass greats Gardell Simons, H. A. Vandercook, and C. Z. Bronson.

Like many small-town musicians, Holton was largely self-taught on trombone. But only a few (Arthur Pryor being another) became nationally known soloists. Continue reading →

Leo Arnaud: jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger for Hollywood

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Leo Arnaud

Leo Arnaud

Noël Léon Marius Arnaud, also known as Leo Vauchant, was born near Lyons, France, in 1904. His parents soon divorced and nothing much is known of his mother. His father, Noël Léon Arnaud, was a trombonist, among other musical accomplishments. Another family member also had the name Noël, so they always called the boy Léon.

The elder Noël deserted the French military. To avoid arrest, he changed his name to Jean Vauchant. Léon became Leo Vauchant, and it is by that name that he first became well known. In fact, he called himself Leo Arnaud only when he moved to the US in 1931. Continue reading →

Felix Vobaron: the first French trombone soloist

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Felix Vobaron is best known today for teaching a provisional trombone class at the Paris Conservatory but not being hired when the class became permanent.

As part of his work at the Conservatory, he published a trombone method. It’s still important, but neither the first nor the best one in France.

The French musical press didn’t cover trombone soloists with the same enthusiasm as the German musical press did. We know several by name but nothing much about the pieces any of them played. But Vobaron appears to be the first. Continue reading →