[Trombone-l] Trombone-l Berlioz, Beethoven

[John Cather]

Low "C" is certainly playable on an Eb trombone. It's possible "F"  
alto's were used in which "C" is the low note in 6th position and "E"  
very playable. Trombones in "D" were used at times, but they don't  
line up with the "lowest note" idea. The idea that any knowledgeable  
musician would say that "C" is the lowest note on a Bb trombone sounds  
unlikely. It sounds like Albrechtsberger was describing and alto in "F".

Interesting thread.

Cheers,
John Cather


On Jan 4, 2008, at 10:00 AM, Howard Weiner <h.weiner at online.de> wrote:

> In 1790 Albrechtsberger published a treatise on composition  
> (Anweisung zur Composition) that also contains a short description  
> of each instrument, including its range and notes that could be  
> played on it. His "alto" trombone has as its lowest note the c below  
> the staff in alto clef, which is a fourth lower than the lowest tone  
> given for the E-flat alto in contemporary sources. He also specifies  
> the e (a third above this c), which was however not available on the  
> E-flat alto trombones of the time since they had short slides and  
> consequently only six positions -- and this e would have been in  
> seventh position, an impossibility. Thus it has to be concluded that  
> Albrechtsberger's "alto" trombone was in B-flat, which agrees with  
> other information concerning the "alto" trombone in Vienna at the  
> turn of the 18th to the 19th century. (See my article for full  
> information.)