Tenor trombone. Trombone: history, video, interesting facts, listen. Components of a trombone

Musical instrument: Trombone

Have you ever heard a trombone group play? Showcasing their power, these instruments make a huge impression. Whatever orchestra is playing: symphony, pop, brass, big band - the brilliant and solemn sound of the trombone can always be heard.

The name trombone came to us from Italy, where the word “trombone” means “large trumpet”. The tool is really similar to pipe , but unlike it, it has a retractable knee - a drawstring.

There is no doubt about the presence of this instrument in musical works of a dramatic nature. Hector Berlioz in the second part of his “Mourning-Triumphal” Symphony, he entrusted the mournful funeral speech to the trombone.Today, a symphony orchestra uses three trombones: 1 bass and 2 regular tenor trombones.

Read the history and many interesting facts about this musical instrument on our page.

Sound

The Greatest Composer L.V. Beethoven said that the voice of the trombone is the voice of God.

The sound coloring of the trombone is very rich, it can be courageous, bright and menacing, but it can also be calm and lyrical, so the instrument was originally used in church works.

Trombone Range from G counter-octave to F second octave. Timbre – bright and light in the upper register; noble and firm - on average; mysterious, gloomy and even sinister - in the lower one. The sound of the trombone is very versatile and can create a festive and dramatic effect.

The trombone has one advantage over the other instruments in the brass group, it is the only one that can slide from one sound to another, all this becomes possible due to the movement of the wings. The famous beautiful trombone glissando is performed according to this principle and is a natural touch for a rocker instrument. Previously, in classical music, the use of glissando was not allowed and was considered a sign of bad taste. The first composers to challenge this claim were A. Glazunov and A. Schoenberg, independently and at about the same time.

To expand their means of expression, trombonists often use a mute, a pear-shaped attachment, the purpose of which is to change the strength of sound and achieve certain sound effects.

Photo:

Interesting Facts

• During the excavations of Pompeii, which were attended by the King of England, ancient trombones were found. The Neapolitan king presented them as a gift to the English monarch, since this find was of great interest to the English king.
• One of the first ensembles to feature the trombone was the judicial ensemble of the city of Naples, which was also allowed to play at weddings, in churches and on battlefields.
• The famous masters of the 15th-16th centuries in the manufacture of trombones were the Neuschel dynasty. Royal families from all over Europe ordered trombones from them. The founder of the family business was Hans Neuschel, who himself played this instrument very well.
• The soprano trombone was last used in the 18th century in the Mass in C major V.A. Mozart .

• “The trombone is too sacred for frequent use” - this quote belongs to the great composer F. Mendelssohn .
• The first concert performance of the trombone as a solo instrument took place in 1468 at the wedding of the Duke of Burgundy.
• In almost all of Wagner's operas, a trombone group can be heard at the climax.
• Part of the first trombone in the famous opera Glinka « Life for the Tsar "is unanimously recognized as the most difficult orchestral part to perform on this instrument.
• The test of professionalism for any trombonist is performing a trombone solo in " Bolero » M. Ravel. The complexity of the task lies in the fact that before this part the instrument does not play, that is, it remains “cold”, and the solo has to be performed in a high register.
• At the beginning of the 20th century, the trombone began to be widely used in jazz compositions.
• Currently in France, future composers, graduates of the conservatory, are required to present a certain number of compositions at the exam, and one of them must be for a wind instrument, including trombone.
• French and German trombone schools have produced more talented trombonists than any other school in Europe.
• One of the oldest trombones that has survived to this day was made in 1551 in Nuremberg, by master E. Schnitzer.

• Before the instrument began to be used in jazz, trombonists from Germany and France were considered the best, but then musicians from the USA took leading positions.
• Two hundred years ago they tried to adapt a valve system to the trombone, such as that of a horn or trumpet. Technically, such instruments became much more flexible, but their sound was seriously inferior, so this idea had to be abandoned.
• The largest trombone-only ensemble included 360 players who performed at the 2012 Washington National Ballpark.

Works for trombone

ON THE. Rimsky-Korsakov - Concerto for trombone and brass band (listen)

Henri Tomasi - Concerto for trombone and orchestra (listen)

Trombone construction

The trombone is a double-bent cylindrical tube, which in the middle is moved apart by a slide, and at the end sharply turns into a cone. The length of the tube is 3 meters, the diameter is 1.5 cm. The mouthpiece of the trombone is large, in the shape of a rounded cup.

Average trombone weight- 2 kg, with case - 4 kg.

The difference between the instrument and the other members of the brass group is the presence of a special part, a retractable slide. Thanks to its movement, you can reproduce the sounds of the chromatic scale. This function on pipes, tubas, and horns is performed by valves.

Sometimes trombones are equipped with a quint or quart valve to lower sounds within fifths or fourths. Among all the instruments of the “brass” group, the trombone can claim to be the “most constant”, since over its centuries-old history this instrument has changed little. The following parts are distinguished:

1. Crown of the general system.
2. Trumpet.
3. Kulisu.
4. Mouthpiece.
5. Liquid drain valve.
6. The first and second racks.
7. Sealing ring.

There are 7 positions on the instrument with a semitone difference from the previous one. Positioning is related to the position of the backstage. If in the 1st position it is not advanced at all, then in the last 7th position its advancement is maximum.

Varieties of trombone

The trombone belongs to the group of aerophones (wind instruments), which are characterized by the presence of air inside, and the sounds are formed as a result of its vibrations.

Today trombones are produced in different sizes and registers; the classification of trombones looks like this:

1. Regular trombone (tenor).
2. Alto.
3. Bass.
4. Soprano.
5. Contrabass (the difference with the tenor is one octave).

The last two types are almost never used in practice today. The most popular of them is the tenor; it is commonly called simply the word “trombone”.

Application and repertoire

The development of the performing school served to greatly popularize the trombone. Its scope is very wide: symphonic, pop, brass, big band orchestras, jazz, funk, ska-punk, swing, salsa, meringue and other musical genres. In terms of sound, the trombone plays a significant and sometimes primary role in a symphony orchestra. He is good at conveying a heroic or tragic character, the instrument can sound like an orator with a speech filled with inspiration. Composers initially used its gloomy timbre colors, for example, W. A. ​​Mozart in the opera "Don Juan" And "Requiem" commissioned the instrument to depict the depths of hell. An example of the famous use of the trombone in symphonic music is found in L.V. Beethoven, in the 4th final movement of Symphony No. 5 .

It is worth noting that composers understood and began to use the ability of the trombone to accurately convey emotional mood only in the era of romanticism. G. Berlioz, G. Mahler, R. Wagner, J. Brahms, admiring the noble and majestic sound, trusted the trombones in their symphonies not only with pathetic, but also with expressive lyrical moments.

Occupying an important place in orchestral and ensemble practice, the trombone performs with great success as a solo concert instrument. Composers: I.S. Bach , G. Purcell, L.V. Beethoven, V.A. Mozart, R. Gliere, A. Vivaldi, K.M. Weber, I. Haydn, E. Grieg , F. Schubert, D. Dvarionis, F. Couperin, J. B. Lully, B. Marcello, M. Glinka, P.I. Chaikovsky , S. Rachmaninov, ON THE. Rimsky-Korsakov , D. Kabalevsky, V. Blazhevich, N. Rota and many others created masterpieces of the classical concert repertoire for him.

Outstanding trombonists

Having taken a strong place as an actively performing orchestral and ensemble musical instrument, the trombone energetically enters the concert stage as a solo instrument.

Among the outstanding virtuoso trombonists, one should undoubtedly note F. Belke, V. Blazhevich, K. Meyer, K. Queisser, A.G. Dieppo, J. Stamp, A. Faulkner, Z. Pulets, K. Bakardzhiev, K. Lindberg, A. Skobelev, V. Nazarov, V. Sumerkin, A. Likhonosov, A. Shipilov.

Famous jazz trombonists: J. Johnson, T. Dorsey, B. Brookmeyer, F. Lacey, C. Ory, Glen Miller (creator of the famous jazz orchestra), D. Morsalis, K. Herwig, S. Toure, T. Dorsey, L Armstrong, K. Winding, B. Harry, V. Batashev, A. Kozlov, N.S. Korshunov, E.A. Reiche, V.A. Shcherbinin.

Story

Today it is no longer possible to name the exact date of the birth of the first trombone. Historians have found the earliest mention of it in the works of the Roman writers Virgil and Isidore (the first years of the new era or according to the Roman calendar 570-730). During the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. this tool was present in the registry lists.

At the excavations of Pompeii, archaeologists discovered two perfectly preserved instruments, not much different from modern trombones. They were made of copper and decorated with gold mouthpieces. Some researchers, for example, G. Riemann, believe that this instrument existed back in the 4th century BC.

The main version, according to most scientists, is the statement that the date of appearance of the trombone in the form in which we know it is the 15th century AD. It is from this time that it is customary to count down the history of the trombone, since it began to be widely used in Europe, and individual works and solo parts began to be composed for it.

It is believed that the predecessor of the trombone was the rocker trumpet, which had a retractable tube, with the help of which the musician could not only perform a chromatic scale, but also create a vibrating sound. This increased the resemblance to the human voice, since such trumpets were used to enhance the sound of a church choir.

The earliest trombones, compared to modern instruments, were smaller in size and were called sakbuts. They had several types: soprano, alto, tenor and bass, in accordance with the height of the singing voice, which was amplified. In the 17th century, sakbuts underwent some design changes, as a result of which they acquired the appearance of modern instruments. The name also changed, sakbuts began to be called trombones.

In the 19th century, the German music master K. Zatler invented the quarter valve, with the help of which it became possible to lower the sounds of the trombone by a fourth, and thereby sound the “dead zone”, since due to the specific design of the instrument it was impossible to extract some sounds. Around the same time, the trombone became part of symphony and brass orchestras.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the trombone began to develop dynamically not only as an orchestral instrument, but also as a solo instrument. The process of its manufacture was modernized, large factories for the production of trombones appeared: in the USA - Conn, Holton, King; in Europe - Zimmerman, Heckel, Courtois, Besson. Play schools have become more widespread, and concert literature has expanded significantly. The trombone became an integral part of various musical genres, such as jazz, and in the 80s of the last century there was an increased interest in sakbuts - first generation trombones that had not been used by musicians for a long time.

Over the 500 years of its existence, it has gained enormous popularity and found wide application. This wonderful instrument, with its rich timbre and special virtuosity, can instantly attract the attention of listeners and lift their spirits. It goes well with other musical instruments and harmoniously complements them, giving rise to a musical palette of amazing beauty.

Video: listen to the trombone

(Italian— trombone, French— trombone, German— Posaune, English— trombone)

The trombone's distant predecessor is considered to be the large curved trumpet of the ancient Romans - the buccina, which was used in military life. Its immediate predecessors were European low (bass) trumpets.

As a result of improvement, they gradually took on a curved shape, and in the 15th century. On their basis, the rocker pipe (zugtrompete) was invented. The backdrop for this instrument was a mouthpiece sleeve extended to 25 cm, along which the entire instrument moved. Moving the instrument along the wings created insurmountable difficulties for the performer - the functioning of the labial apparatus was disrupted. Therefore, soon the craftsmen created a double slide instead of a single one, along which the lower knee of the instrument began to move along its barrel.

Thus, at the beginning of the 16th century. The first chromatic brass instrument, the trombone, appeared. M. Pretorius in the “Code of Musical Science” (“Syntagma musicum”, part II, 1618) indicates four types of trombone: alto or treble - for the upper register with a volume from B major to D (mi) of the second octave, simple or direct with volume from mi (d, do) large to a (si) first, quart with a volume from G counter octave to do (D - G) first, octave with volume from E (do - D) counter octave to A small (see small - to the first).

At the beginning of the 18th century. trombones were used in church or tower music and on rare occasions in orchestras. At that time, there were also four types of trombone: small alto or soprano in B-flat tuning, large alto in E-flat and F tuning, tenor in B-flat tuning, bass in F and E-flat tuning. At the beginning of the 19th century. In Germany, a contrabass trombone was designed, tuned an octave lower than the tenor one. R. Wagner used this instrument in the tetralogy “The Ring of the Nibelung”, but later the contrabass trombone was not used. With the invention of the valve mechanism, valve trombones appeared. They began to be often used in military bands. Currently, valve trombones are very rare.

By the middle of the 19th century. Of all the varieties of the instrument, only the tenor and tenor-bass trombone remained. True, some composers continued to write alto and bass trombone parts in the scores of their works, but in the orchestra the alto trombone parts were performed on the tenor, and the bass trombone parts on the tenor-bass trombone.

Tenor trombone. Its design has remained almost unchanged to this day, only the bell has expanded. The modern trombone is an instrument with a tube twice as long as a trumpet. It consists of three parts: two parallel tubes, which are called rods, a movable tube - a slide, which is inserted into the rods, and a bell. The trombone is a non-transposing instrument; its parts are written in bass and tenor clefs. As a rule, the parts of the third trombone (bass trombone) are written in the bass clef.

The chromatic scale is reproduced by sequentially extending the scenes. The position when the slide fits tightly to the mouthpiece part of the instrument is called the I position. In this position, it is possible to extract sounds of the natural scale from the second to the tenth (from B-flat major to D of the second octave). II, III, IV, V, VI and VII positions successively lower the natural scale chromatically by three tones. The slide is driven by the right hand, the left one supports the instrument. Thus, the principle of lowering a natural scale using a backstage mechanism is similar to the principle of lowering it using a valve mechanism. Complete chromatic trombone scale (see example 93). In positions I, II, III and IV you can get basic tones 17 (see example 94). These sounds are called pedal sounds. They are extracted in the nuances p and pp and used as seasoned ones. The sounds from E-flat major to B counter-octave cannot be played on a tenor trombone; this section of the scale is usually called the “dead zone”. Characteristics of trombone registers (see example 95). The timbre of the trombone differs sharply from other brass instruments. This is facilitated by its tube, which does not have crowns and curls, which are inevitable with a valve mechanism. The technique of playing the trombone is determined by the rocker mechanism. Compared to valve instruments, a quick and clear change of sounds on the trombone is difficult. However, with the help of a rocker mechanism, precise intonation is achieved, which distinguishes the trombone from other instruments. The lack of fluent finger technique on the trombone is compensated by the possibility of using a glissando, which can be performed at any tempo and with any nuance. Various passages based on natural sounds are easy to perform even at a fast pace. Legato on the trombone works best on the sounds of one or adjacent positions. Single and double attacks are possible. On the eighth and ninth overtones of each position, labial trills are possible. Often when playing the trombone, a mute is used; sometimes for the purpose of weakening the sound. In the ff nuance it gives the instrument a characteristic crackling sound.

Varieties of trombone.

Tenor-bass-trombone differs from the tenor in the presence of an additional crown with a quarter valve, which lowers the entire trombone scale by a perfect fourth.

As a result of the inclusion of an additional crown, the trombone significantly increases in length, due to this, instead of seven positions of the tenor trombone, when the quarter valve is turned on, only six can be obtained. Using these six positions the following scale can be played (see example 96). But basically the quartile is used to extract the lowest sounds of the second overtone: E-flat, D, D-flat and up to the major octave. In this way, the “dead zone” is filled, except for the B sound of the counter-octave, which is not produced at all on the trombone. The quart valve is also used for glissando. In addition, it is often used in technically complex formations, when sounds are produced using positions distant from each other.

Like other instruments of a symphony orchestra, the trombone is a musical instrument with a unique sound and an interesting history. He is a full-fledged member of the symphony orchestra and jazz bands, but such a broad purpose was not always present - it was preceded by centuries of narrow application and technical improvement.

Origin

Translated from Italian and French, “trombone” means trumpet or large pipe. The name “trombone” began to be used during the Renaissance, in the 15th century. It refers to a brass instrument with a slide, which allows the sound of the instrument to be lower and booming.

The predecessor of the musical instrument trombone in references to the Renaissance and Baroque periods was the sakbut. Both terms were used as synonyms for a long time, but after the 17th century the term “trombone” became established and replaced all others.

Timbre and description

What does a trombone look like? The musical instrument, the description of which can be found already in the 15th century, has not changed very much since that time. It is a double-bent pipe with a movable slide. Its end turns into a cone. The length of the tube is three meters, the diameter is 1.5 cm. A mouthpiece is mandatory for all wind instruments - the trombone has a large one, in the form of a rounded bowl.

In the photo, the trombone musical instrument stands out noticeably. Unlike other brass instruments, the trombone is more technical, allowing you to smoothly move from note to note, perform chromaticisms, as well as glissando.

There are soprano, alto, tenor, bass, and double bass varieties of the instrument. The most commonly used is the tenor trombone.

The range of the instrument is from G (sol) contra octave to F (fa) second octave.

Its timbre is low, sonorous and drawn-out, sounding differently in the high and lower registers. At the top it has a brilliant and bright timbre, at the bottom it is gloomy and menacing. Thanks to its timbre qualities, the trombone has become a musical instrument trusted in solo parts and entire works.

Sound production mechanism

The bright, inviting sound of the trombone and its technical capabilities are determined by its structure. Unlike other brass instruments, the trombone has a slide, an elongated U-shaped part that is part of the musical instrument. Thanks to it, the trombone acquires additional technical capabilities - it expands the sound range and allows you to easily slide from note to note (glissando).

The transition to fourth and fifth is carried out using the quarter valve and fifth valve; in historical forms of the trombone such possibilities were absent.

Like other brass instruments, the trombone may use a mute (muting sound) when played on the trombone.

Biblical Echoes

Mentions of large pipes are very diverse and are found in ancient texts. Menacing trumpet blasts accompanied significant events and were issued by angels and archangels. Researchers of biblical texts and music of that period believe that this instrument - hatzotsra - is an ancient wind instrument, vaguely reminiscent of the modern trumpet and trombone, but without a wing. However, it is the sound of the trombone in many works that signifies the voice of God, the signal of the beginning of the Last Judgment.

Historical predecessors

Documentary references to the rocker musical instrument are found already in Antiquity. Isidore and Virgil point to a special sliding trumpet (tuba ductills), the sound of which changes depending on the position of the moving part. It is also known that two trombones were found during excavations in Roman Pompeii in the 18th century, but the traces of these finds are more reminiscent of a legend than a fait accompli.

Most researchers believe that ancient trombones were not fiction, but one can only guess about their appearance and sound.

The first official mentions and images of the trombone date back to the 15th century. At this time, there was no single name for the instrument: sacbut (French “sacquer” - to drag and “bouter” - to push), posaunen (English), tuba ductili (Italian) was mentioned along with trombone. All of them are equally often found in various sources.

The popularity of the trombone in the 15th century was quite high - it was used in church services, became part of secular ensembles and a solo instrument. It is allowed to be used in solemn civil ceremonies and on the battlefield.

Consolidation in musical culture

The birthplace of the musical instrument trombone is considered to be Germany or Italy. The first craftsmen who made silver trombones for the royal courts lived here.

In the XVII-XVIII centuries. the trombone became associated with the music of the past. Remaining an ensemble and solo instrument, it stands apart and is not included in orchestras. This does not prevent many composers from creating works for this instrument.

In most cases, the main area of ​​application of the trombone timbre was church music: it accompanied or duplicated singing voices, and the high register was used for this.

The classical symphony orchestra, created in the 18th century by J. Haydn, did not include a trombone. Apparently, this instrument was perceived as old-fashioned and too prominent in the harmonic sound of the tutti. In addition, the time for its technical improvement has not yet come.

In a special position, however, the trombone was used in musical theater. Its sound acquired a dramatic tone in the operas of K. V. Gluck, and W. A. ​​Mozart gives it a tragic and menacing role in the opera “Don Giovanni” and “Requiem”.

Trombone in a symphony orchestra

The introduction of the trombone as a musical instrument into the symphony orchestra occurred only at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries. from L.V. Beethoven. for the first time entrusted him with a detailed solo part in symphonic music, denoting it as a noble and majestic timbre. In modern orchestra composition, as a rule, two or three trombones are used (two tenor and bass). The orchestras of R. Wagner, P. I. Tchaikovsky, G. Mahler, J. Brahms are unthinkable without the sonorous and inviting timbre of the trombone, where his voice is associated with fatal and formidable forces.

In the symphonic music of P. I. Tchaikovsky, the sound of the trombone symbolizes the images of Rock and Providence. In R. Wagner, the trombone, together with other brass instruments, symbolizes power and unapproachable strength, images of Rock. R. Wagner used the upper registers to express love lyrics (“Tristan and Isolde”). This unusual semantic move was continued in the music of the twentieth century.

With increased interest in the trombone in the 19th century, the use of glissando remained practically prohibited, which began to be used only by the classics of the 20th century - A. Schoenberg and I. Glazunov.

Trombone in jazz

Jazz trombone is a new type of musical instrument. It begins with the Dixieland era, one of the first movements of jazz music. Here this instrument is first recognized as a solo improvising instrument, creating a countermelody and skillfully playing it. The most famous jazz trombonists - Glen Miller, Myth Mole, Edward Kid Ory - created their own playing style. One of the main techniques is a combination of individual accented notes and a characteristic glissando on the trombone. He creates the unique sound of Dixieland of the 20s. XX century. Thanks to jazz trombonists, the jazz style is associated with wind instruments.

The trombone also sounds in Latin American music - this was facilitated by touring jazz ensembles, where the trombone was the solo instrument.

The modern capabilities of the trombone are multifaceted - from playing classical music to sounding in jazz, rock and other styles. The use of this instrument is becoming more and more creative and interesting, and the place of the trombonist in an orchestra or ensemble is becoming more and more prominent.

Bass-tenor register.

The trombone has been known since the 15th century. It differs from other brass instruments by the presence of a backstage - a special movable U-shaped tube, with the help of which the musician changes the volume of air enclosed in the instrument, thus achieving the ability to perform sounds of a chromatic scale (on, and valves serve this purpose). The trombone is a non-transposing instrument, so its notes are always written according to their actual sound. Some trombones have an additional crown that allows you to lower sounds by a fourth and is connected using a quarter valve.

The trombone comes in several varieties, forming a family. Nowadays, the main representative of the family, the tenor trombone, is mainly used. As a rule, the word “trombone” means this particular variety, so the word “tenor” is often omitted. Alto and bass trombones are used less frequently, while soprano and double bass trombones are almost never used.

Trombone Range- from G1 (contra-octave G) to f? (F of the second octave) with the skipping of sounds between B1 and E (B-flat counter-octave - E of the large octave). This gap (except for the note H1, that is, the B counter octave) is filled in the presence of a quarter valve.

The instrument is varied in its strokes and technically agile, it has a bright, brilliant timbre in the middle and upper registers, and a gloomy one in the lower registers. On the trombone it is possible to use a mute, a special effect - glissando - is achieved by sliding the slide. A symphony orchestra typically uses three trombones (two tenor and one bass).

The main area of ​​application of the trombone- a symphony orchestra, but it is also used as a solo instrument, as well as in brass bands, jazz and other musical genres, in particular in Ska-punk, where it occupies a leading position among wind instruments.

History and origin of the trombone

The appearance of the trombone dates back to the 15th century. It is generally accepted that the immediate predecessors of this instrument were rocker trumpets, when playing which the musician had the opportunity to move the instrument tube, thus obtaining a chromatic scale.

During its existence, the trombone has undergone virtually no radical changes in its design.

The first instruments, which were essentially trombones, were called sakbuts (from the French saquer - to pull towards oneself, bouter - to push away from oneself). They were smaller than modern instruments in size and had several varieties in registers: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Sakbuts, thanks to their chromatic scale, immediately became permanent members of orchestras. Small improvements in sakbuts led to the appearance in the 17th century of practically modern instruments, to which the Italian word trombone had already begun to be applied at that time.

In the 19th century, attempts were made to adapt a valve system to the trombone similar to the trumpet mechanism and, but this innovation did not become widespread due to the fact that such instruments, although they gained in technical flexibility, lost significantly in sound. In 1839, the Leipzig musician Christan Zatler invented the quarter valve, which made it possible to lower the sounds of the trombone by a fourth, which made it possible to extract sounds from the so-called “dead zone” (a section of the scale that is inaccessible due to the design features of the trombone).

The position of the instrument in the orchestra, solo and ensemble music is developing and strengthening, and high-class virtuoso solo performers are appearing. Composers create a number of works for trombone, which later become classics of the repertoire - Weber's Romance, discovered many years after the composer's death, Rimsky-Korsakov's Concerto for Trombone and Brass Band, David's Concertino and others. In the second half of the century, powerful manufactories for the production of instruments, compared to the past, were formed - Holton, Conn, King - in the USA, Heckel, Zimmerman, Besson, Courtois - in Europe. Some types of trombone are going out of practice, for example, alto and double bass.

In the 20th century, thanks to the development of the performing school and the improvement of instrument production technologies, the trombone became a very popular instrument. Composers create numerous concert literature for it; the trombone occupies a significant place in jazz, as well as ska, funk and other genres. Since the late 1980s, there has been a revival of interest in antique trombones (sacbuts) and obsolete trombone varieties.

Trombone device

Components of a trombone:

1. crown of the general system (tuning slide);
2. mouthpiece;
3. bell;
4. liquid drain valve (water key);
5. backstage (main slide);
6. second slide brace;
7. first slide brace;
8. slide lock ring.

Trombone playing technique

Principle of sound production

As with other brass instruments, the basic principle of playing the trombone is to obtain harmonic consonances by changing the position of the lips and changing the length of the air column in the instrument, achieved with the help of a slide.

When playing, the slide is pulled out with the right hand, while the left hand supports the instrument.

There are seven positions on the trombone (scene positions), each of which lowers the tuning of the instrument by a semitone. Each position corresponds to a specific combination of valves on valve instruments (including valve trombone). In the first position the slide is not extended, in the seventh it is extended to the maximum possible distance. The table shows correspondences between trombone positions and the use of valves on other brass instruments. The fundamental tone is the sound resulting from the vibration of a full column of air in the instrument. On the trombone, the fundamental tone can only be achieved in the first three or four positions. It's called a pedal sound and it's not loud.

Using a quarter valve

Some trombones have an additional crown that lowers the entire trombone scale down a fourth. This crown is activated by a special lever, the so-called quarter valve, which is pressed by the tension of a special chain attached to the thumb of the left hand. The quarter trombone is essentially a combination of a tenor and a bass instrument and is sometimes called a tenor-bass-trombone.

When the quarter valve is turned on, the trombone only provides six positions, since extending the slide to each subsequent position requires more space due to the increase in the length of the trombone tube.

Glissando

Glissando is a technique in which the backstage moves smoothly from one position to another, without the musician interrupting the sound. Used for special sound effects.

Outstanding trombonists

Friedrich August Boelcke
Vladislav Mikhailovich Blazhevich
Glenn Miller

Video: Trombone on video + sound

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The four surnames that originally represented this large family - horns (or horns), trumpets, trombones and tubas - over time were fairly mixed and presented to descendants several characteristic hybrids, which, on the one hand, enriched the sound of the symphony orchestra, and on the other, added shine and the melody of the sound of a military orchestra. ...Copper ones are necessary when it comes to conveying impressions of spaces of any, even unimaginable, scale... The sound generator, as in the past, is... the lips of the performer.

Cornet

French name for the instrument cornet-a-piston– a horn with pistons (piston valves). Designed in Paris in the 1820s. This is not a trumpet, but a direct descendant of the post horn, therefore it can be considered related horn. The modern cornet, despite its compactness and “rolled-up” appearance, is becoming more and more like a trumpet.

The instrument's most famous feature is its superiority over other brass instruments in playing music requiring great fluency and virtuosity.

The cornet lacks the heroic intonations of the trumpet, but, on the other hand, it is capable of the warmth and rich softness of sound associated only with the horn. This determined his role and place in the orchestra: the cornet successfully leads the melodic line assigned to it, and, moreover, in combination with other instruments, it sounds no worse than a trumpet.

Flugelhorn

The name of the instrument is formed from two German words: Flugel- “wing” and Horn- “horn”. Its secret will be revealed if you just take the flugelhorn in your hands. The increased cross-section of the conical channel, a wider bell than the pipe, causes the second turn of the tube to deviate like the raised wing of a bird ready to take off. The flugelhorn, which resembles both a trumpet and a cornet-a-piston, is indeed “winged”. It is used more often to improvise than to play from notes. Jazz trumpeters love the flugelhorn for its smooth horn sound.

The instrument is more popular in Europe than in America. In Italy, for example, four of its rare varieties are still found.

Trombone

Trombone is a word of Italian origin. thrombe- this is a trumpet, trombone is a large trumpet). The English ancestor of the trombone was called sekbat (sakbat, sackbut) and was quite similar to a modern instrument. It is believed that the trombone has remained virtually unchanged over the past five hundred years. This is not entirely true. The dimensions of the instrument, the shape of the mouthpiece and bell changed. The masters sought from the trombone the same thing that they achieved from other instruments - ideal sound. The main distinguishing feature of the trombone is its movable knee, the slide. The slide is designed to change the pitch of the instrument. When it extends, the sound, as the air column lengthens, becomes lower.

The instrument's tube is basically cylindrical, but closer to the bell it vigorously tapers out. The mouthpiece is a shallow, ball-shaped cup, similar to the mouthpiece of a large trumpet, and is different from the mouthpieces of other brass instruments.

The sound of the trombone is powerful and distinct; At the same time, any gradation of quiet sound is possible on the trombone. The instrument sounds soulfully in sacred music, but is often associated with the realm of the supernatural (as, for example, in Mozart's Requiem and his opera Don Giovanni). If it is necessary to express sensations in the score of a musical work
anxiety, danger, doom, then the composer will most likely turn to the sound of the trombone. In jazz music, on the other hand, the trombone often sounds rather carefree. Vocal imitation of the sound of the trombone, its expressive glissando and blues notes is almost the quintessence of the unique performing style of the legendary jazz musician (singer, trumpeter, trombonist) Louis
Armstrong (1901–1971).

Glissando seems to be a rather natural touch for such a unique instrument as the trombone, but in academic music its use was not allowed for a long time and was considered a sign of bad taste. The first authors to overcome this tradition completely independently of each other were Alexander Glazunov (1865–1936) and Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951).

When playing, the instrument is held with the left hand by the stand of the mouthpiece part of the tube so that the mouthpiece rests on the lips. The right hand controls the slide using a separate spacer. There are seven positions for the position of the backstage when playing. At the first (highest) position the slide is fully retracted, at the seventh (lowest) position it is fully extended; with each successive position the sound decreases by a semitone.

On the U-shaped bend of the stationary (mouthpiece) part of the instrument there is a movable tuning crown. A counterweight is installed on the transverse strut, because the total length of all the tubes of the instrument is about three meters and with the slide fully extended, the trombone begins, as they say, to “outweigh” the trombonist. The valve for removing condensate is located on the moving part of the tube - the slide.

In a modern orchestra, the trombone section usually consists of three instruments; These are two tenor and one bass trombones.

The range of the trombone is about 2.5 octaves, the tenor tuning is in B, the bass tuning is in F (a perfect fourth lower).

Tenor-bass-trombone- the most important of the types of instruments in the trombone group - is a tenor trombone in B with the so-called quarter valve - a device consisting of a loop of an additional tube built into a U-shaped elbow so that, when connected, it ensures the extraction of the fundamental tone F. The connection is made by a rotary valve controlled by the left
thumb and acting like a horn valve.

The tenor bass trombone, intended for playing mainly low bass trombone parts, has an enlarged bore and a tube equipped with a small slide. The quarter valve actually turns one instrument into two or even three, if you count the additional crown E present in the instrument's design. In significance, this is comparable to the invention of the double horn, because with the help of the quarter valve, unlimited access to both the tenor and bass registers is provided.

French horn

If the sound of the trumpet highlights heroic motives, the trombone - spiritual and otherworldly principles, then the sphere of the horn is magic. Almost all over the world, the French horn (which literally means “forest horn” in German) is for some reason called the “French horn”. The exception is France, where it is not called that way in principle. It is reliably known that the horn was created and developed mainly in Germany, so it would be more reasonable to call it a “German horn”.

The predecessors of the modern horn are the hunting horn, and after it the so-called natural horn.

The valve, or chromatic, horn was invented by the Silesian masters Stölzel and Blumel in 1818 and was patented at the same time. Two years later, news of the new “German horn,” and the horn itself, reached Paris, where the French musician Pierre-Joseph Émile Meifred (1791–1867) made some improvements to the instrument. And only in 1835, that is, 15 years later, the valve horn appeared in the orchestra. In Wagner's early scores, natural and valve horns are used together. One of the first major works intended specifically for valve horn and piano - Schumann's Adagio and Allegro (Op. 70) dates back to

1849, but twenty years later, composers were still turning to the natural prototype of the instrument. Especially when the sound of the orchestra had to recreate the atmosphere of pristine “forest romance”.

The warm and velvety tone of the horn is difficult to confuse with the sound of other brass instruments, but the coloristic capabilities of the instrument can also be expanded due to a special technique - inserting the hand into the bell while playing. The result is closed, or frozen, sounds - even more unusual, mysterious, creating a curious spatial effect of instantaneously moving the instrument away.

The modern valve horn has an impressive range (3.5 octaves), and this is due to the fact that it is, as it were, two instruments “inscribed” into one another. The instrument that is currently established in the orchestra is the result of combining its closest predecessors: the horn in B and the horn in F. The total length of the tube due to this combination is 518 centimeters. The instrument has three main valves, which, using rotary levers, control twice the number of valve tubes. The fourth valve, an additional one, is actuated by the thumb, providing switching from tuning F to tuning B and vice versa. Switching can occur at any time and in any register in the range. Mouthpiece – conical,
funnel-shaped, different from the mouthpieces of other brass instruments.

In symphonic scores of the 19th and 20th centuries, four horns most often appear, two of which are assigned high parts, and the other two are assigned low parts. In large orchestras the number of horns can increase to six to eight.

Baritone

The name "baritone" is most often applied to this brass instrument, but it happens to be called both "tenor" and "tenor tuba". In the 30s - 40s of the 19th century, when the design of the baritone was just taking shape, another name was invented for it - euphonium(from the Greek "euphonos" meaning " harmonious", "sweet-voiced").

The baritone's vocation is not only military music. The instrument has become widespread in brass bands, where its characteristic tone can also be heard in solo episodes. Just like the name, there are various variations in the design of the instrument. There are 3, 4 and even 5 valve baritones. Each of the additional valves opens a sidewall, due to which the tone of the instrument is slightly lowered. With the total length of all tubes being within three meters, the baritone is quite compact - about 60-70 centimeters in length.

The mouthpiece of the baritone and related variations is bowl-shaped and quite deep compared even to the mouthpiece of the trombone, which helps to obtain the soft and spicy tone characteristic of this instrument.

Tuba

The Latin word tuba ( tuba) translates as " pipe" Well, let's assume that out of respect for the lowest voice among all brass instruments, this instrument is called by its Latin name.

Thanks to the wide conical bore, wide bell and deep cup-shaped mouthpiece, the tuba has not only the lowest, but also an unusually soft, deep tone, more similar to the timbre of a French horn than a trombone or trumpet. The tube is also distinguished by its size. It is the largest instrument in its group and one of the largest wind instruments in the orchestra.

In ancient Rome, a tuba was a bronze cylindrical and straight wind instrument up to one and a half meters long, used in military and ceremonial use. The modern tuba is one of the youngest members of the family. It was born with a full-fledged valve system (the number of valves is 3 - 4, less often 5 or 6).

The tuba was introduced into the symphony orchestra by Richard Wagner. Tuba solos appear in orchestral scores by Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Maurice Ravel and other authors. In the 20th century, a sonata for tuba was written for the first time. Its author is the German composer Paul Hindemith (1895–1963).

Wagner tuba

An instrument with this name really owes its birth to maestro Richard Wagner. The composer needed a kind of sound “connecting
link" between the horns and trombones for the performance of his impressive opera cycle "Der Ring of the Nibelung" (1876). According to Wagner, such tubas were to be played by horn players. The gloomy and majestic sound of the instrument has repeatedly attracted the attention of composers of the 19th and 20th centuries - Bruckner, R. Strauss, Stravinsky and others. The conical channel of the Wagner tube expands gradually and turns into a beveled long bell; When playing, the instrument is held on the knees. The range of the Wagnerian tuba is about three octaves, the tuning varies: there are tenor instruments in B and bass instruments in F. A quartet of Wagnerian tubas appears in the scores of the operas of Wagner’s “Ring” (“Das Rheingold”, “Walkyrie”, “Siegfried”, “Sunset of the Gods”) : two tenor and two bass instruments.

Sousaphone

Sousaphone (sousaphone) is a brass instrument, a type of bass tuba in Es or B tuning with three or four valves - named after its inventor, the American conductor John Sousa. The sousaphone is used in military brass bands and looks and sounds great even on a march. Its bell shines like the sun, towering above the performer's head. And a long four to five and a half meter tube encircles it, like a mythical snake. The sousaphone has been produced since 1898; recently the main tube of the instrument has been made of fiberglass.

Lev Zalessky.