The Trombone in the Renaissance

Book excerpt: The trombone is one of the oldest instruments of Western art music in use today, for its modern form differs little from that at its inception in the fifteenth century. With more than 100 illustrations and nearly 400 original documents, many of them not previously available in English translation, this book traces the development of the instrument's physical form, musical use, and social function during the Renaissance. From its initial appearance with shawms in the alta band, the instrument moved gradually to a more refined position, joining with cornetts and violins and accompanying voices in church music. By the late sixteenth century it was one of the most widely used instruments in Western Europe.