Trombone

Beethoven called the trombone the “voice of God,” perhaps partly thanks to its range, which is very close to that of the human voice, but also its beauty and flexibility. The trombone is unique among brass instruments for its not-so-secret weapon—the slide. While the trumpet, horn, and tuba are limited to the notes provided by their fixed lengths of tubing, the trombone’s continuous slide allows the player to vary the length of the tubing itself, giving huge control over pitch. It makes the trombone one of the most expressive instruments in the orchestra. The modern trombone is descended from the sackbut, commonly found in sacred and court music of the Renaissance. In the Baroque era that followed, the likes of Bach and Handel wrote for the sackbut, with the modern trombone appearing in the standard orchestral lineup as late as the end of the Classical era, with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Its sound is hugely versatile, from the full-throated cry of Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” to its introverted grandeur in much of Elgar’s orchestral music and the warm, almost choral texture of multiple trombones, as often used by Mahler in his symphonies.