Trom-bone′.
1. (Music.) A wind-instrument of metal, whose middle piece slides telescopically upon the mouth-piece and pavilion ends. Its capacity for modulation of tone by means of its slide gives it command over every tone within its compass, without-keys or valves. It is made en suite, that is, of varying sizes and compass. See Horn, h. The English sackbul of the ninth century could be drawn out to alter the pitch of sound. The French name in the fifteenth century was sacquebutte or sacqueboute; from sambuca. Trombones are of four kinds, each of which bears the name of the human voice to which it bears the nearest resemblance in quality of tone and compass. The soprano is the smallest and highest; it doubles the soprano voices of the chorus, but is but little used. The other trombones are the allo, tenor, and bass trombones, and double those voices. The alto trombone has a compass of more than two octaves and a half, and is also known as the trombone in E♭. It is written on the C clef, third line. The tenor trombone is also known as the trombone in B♭ It is written on the C clef, fourth line. The bass trombone is the lowest of all in its range of notes, and is known as the E♭. It is written on the F clef; is an octave lower than the alto, and a fifth lower than the tenor.
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| Tromba spezzata. |
