The alto trombone (German: Altposaune, Italian, French: trombone alto) is the alto member of the trombone family of brass instruments, smaller than the tenor trombone. It is almost always pitched in E♭ a fourth higher than the tenor, although examples pitched in F are occasionally found. The alto trombone was commonly used from the 16th to the 18th centuries in church music to strengthen the alto voice, particularly in the Mass.[1] Alto trombone parts are usually notated in alto clef.
 Alto trombone in E♭ | |
| Brass instrument | |
|---|---|
| Classification | |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 423.22 (Sliding aerophone sounded by lip vibration) |
| Developed | Late 16th century |
| Playing range | |
 | |
| Related instruments | |
History edit
Although the trombone first appeared in its earliest sackbut form in the 15th century, the exact origin of the smaller alto sized instrument is unclear.[2] The first documented mentions of an alto trombone are in 1590 in Aurelio Virgiliano's Il Dolcimelo, and in Syntagma Musicum (1614–20) by Michael Praetorius, which includes an illustration of an alto trombone in volume II, De Organographia.[3] The earliest surviving alto dates from around 1652 and is held by St. Mary's Church, Gdańsk.[4]
The alto trombone appears in the earliest written music for trombone, where composers wrote alto, tenor, and bass parts to bolster the corresponding voices in church liturgical music.[1] Although the parts were notated in alto, tenor and bass clefs, historically the clef has not always been a reliable indicator of which type of trombone was actually used in performance.[3]
18th century Vienna edit
Until recently, little was known about trombone repertoire from the 18th century. The recent discovery of new repertoire and information regarding the Austrian alto trombone virtuoso Thomas Gschladt demonstrates that the alto trombone enjoyed a period of popularity between 1756 and 1780. In the 1960s an incomplete concerto by Georg Christoph Wagenseil (1715–1777) was recorded by conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt: this concerto demands advanced technique from the performer and is the first known concerto for the trombone.[5] Shortly after this recording was released, another concerto, written by Leopold Mozart was discovered. Due to the advanced technique (particularly lip trills) required in this concerto, it was considered too difficult for the trombone and musicologists concluded that it was most likely written for the French horn.[6] New information regarding Gschladt demonstrates that music of this difficulty was written for the alto trombone during the mid-to-late 18th century and that music that was previously thought impossible on the instrument was playable. Like Bach's trumpet soloist Gottfried Reiche and Mozart's horn soloist, Joseph Leutgeb, Gschladt represented the best of contemporary trombone soloists. Gschladt was very close to Leopold Mozart who wrote a Serenade especially to be performed only by him—when Gschladt was unavailable Mozart preferred using a viola soloist instead.
In addition to Leopold Mozart and Wagenseil, Michael Haydn's Serenade in D (1764) with its extended range, trills, technique, and endurance demands contributes to this idea that there was perhaps a golden age of the alto trombone between 1756 and 1780 and was this piece was also most likely written for Thomas Gschladt. The Serenade joins these few works that remain from an era of alto trombone virtuosity.[6][7]
Decline of use in the 19th century edit
Berlioz was influential in the 19th century in the ascension of the tenor trombone and valved brass instruments in France. By the 1840s the alto was nearly obsolete in France and England. In Italy and many other parts of Europe, valve trombones rapidly became the norm and displaced slide trombones, including the alto. Improvements in instruments and performance technique meant that tenor trombone players were increasingly able to play first trombone parts intended for alto, and the alto was regarded as an outmoded upper-register tool.[8]
Modern revival edit
While some first trombonists continued to use the alto trombone as indicated, it was unfashionable in orchestras until the late 20th century, when it began to enjoy something of a revival.[8] Contemporary composers have written solo works for the alto trombone, including Eric Ewazen, Christian Lindberg, Torsten Nilsson, and Jan Sandström.[3]
Construction edit
The bore of an alto trombone is intermediate between a trumpet and a tenor trombone, and similar to that of a small-bore tenor, usually around 0.450 to 0.500 inches (11.4 to 12.7 mm) with a 6+1⁄2 or 7 inches (17 or 18 cm) bell.
Modern instruments are sometimes fitted with a valve to lower the pitch, either by a semitone to D (known as a "trill" valve), or by a fourth into B♭, analogous to the B♭/F valve configuration found on tenor and bass trombones. The B♭ valve makes alternative slide positions available for notes in longer positions, and allows the range above the pedals to extend from A2 down to F2.
Many manufacturers offer an alto model in their trombone range, including Yamaha, Bach, Conn, SE Shires, Thein, Rath, and others.
Alto valve trombones in E♭ have occasionally been built but remain rare items, usually in museums.[9]
Characteristics and range edit
The tessitura of the E♭ alto trombone is A2 to E♭5, although it rarely strays below E♭3 in classical repertoire.[10] In good hands the range can extend as high as G5. Pedal tones can be produced from E♭2 to A1 but are seldom called for.
Since the slide is shorter than the B♭ tenor and bass trombones, the seven slide positions are proportionally closer together. A B♭ valve attachment extends the low range below the A2 in seventh position to F2, although it is most useful for providing convenient alternate slide positions for notes in the middle register, allowing the player to avoid the longest 6th and 7th positions.
The timbre of the alto is brighter than that of the tenor or bass trombone, and constitutes its principal strength and point of difference. Its bright, clear high register is capable of great expression and beauty of tone.
Repertoire edit
The alto trombone has primarily been used in choral, orchestral and operatic settings, and came to some prominence in the early 19th century, particularly in the symphonies of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Mendelssohn. Since the 18th century in Vienna, it has also enjoyed a history as a solo instrument.
Modern composers have rediscovered the instrument and the alto trombone has begun making more appearances in modern small-scale compositions. Britten used alto trombone in his 1966 chamber opera The Burning Fiery Furnace. Today, first-chair professional orchestral tenor trombonists are expected to play the alto trombone when required.
Notable works scored for this instrument are listed in the following table.
Composer Work Year Type Monteverdi L'Orfeo 1607 opera J. S. Bach Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4 1707 cantata J. S. Bach Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir, BWV 38 1724 cantata Gluck Alceste 1767 opera W. A. Mozart Great Mass in C minor 1782–1783 (unfinished) concert mass W. A. Mozart Requiem 1791 (unfinished) concert mass W. A. Mozart Don Giovanni 1787 opera W. A. Mozart Idomeneo 1781 opera W. A. Mozart The Magic Flute 1791 opera Haydn The Creation 1796–1798 oratorio Haydn The Seasons 1801 oratorio Beethoven Symphony No. 5 1804–1808 symphony Beethoven Symphony No. 6 1804–1808 symphony Beethoven Symphony No. 9 1817–1824 symphony Beethoven Missa Solemnis 1823 concert mass Schubert Symphony No. 7 1821 (unfinished) symphony Schubert Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" 1822 (unfinished) symphony Schubert Symphony No. 9 "The Great" 1826–1827 symphony Schubert Mass No. 5 in A♭ major 1822 concert mass Schubert Mass No. 6 in E♭ major 1828 concert mass Berlioz Symphonie fantastique 1830 symphony F. Mendelssohn Lobgesang ("Symphony No. 2") 1840 symphony-cantata F. Mendelssohn Symphony No. 5 "Reformation" 1830 symphony F. Mendelssohn Elijah 1846 oratorio F. Mendelssohn Overture in C minor "Ruy Blas" 1839 overture Schumann Symphony No. 1 "Spring" 1841 symphony Schumann Symphony No. 2 1845–1846 symphony Schumann Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish" 1850 symphony Schumann Symphony No. 4 1841, revised 1851 symphony Brahms Symphony No. 1 1876 symphony Brahms Symphony No. 2 1877 symphony Brahms Symphony No. 3 1883 symphony Brahms Symphony No. 4 1885 symphony Brahms Academic Festival Overture 1880 overture Brahms Tragic Overture 1880 overture Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem 1868 vocal/orchestral work Schoenberg Gurre-Lieder 1911 vocal/orchestral work Schoenberg Pelleas und Melisande 1903 symphonic poem Berg Wozzeck 1922 opera Berg Three Pieces for Orchestra 1913–1915 orchestral work Stravinsky Threni 1958 vocal/orchestral work
References edit
Sources edit
- Herbert, Trevor (2006). The Trombone. Yale Musical Instrument Series. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300235-75-3. OCLC 1007305405. OL 30593699M. Wikidata Q111039091.
- Herbert, Trevor, ed. (2019). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Brass Instruments. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781316841273. ISBN 978-1-316-63185-0. OCLC 1038492212. OL 34730943M. Wikidata Q114571908.
- Yeo, Douglas (2021). An Illustrated Dictionary for the Modern Trombone, Tuba, and Euphonium Player. Dictionaries for the Modern Musician. Illustrator: Lennie Peterson. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-538-15966-8. LCCN 2021020757. OCLC 1249799159. OL 34132790M. Wikidata Q111040546.