| In scholarly writings devoted to the trombone, the alto, tenor, and bass trombones are the best represented while the contrabass trombone is almost entirely overlooked. At first glance, this would seem fair because of the vast difference in the amount of literature composed for each instrument. However, from a historical perspective, the contrabass trombone has been in existence for nearly as long as the others. In addition, no other trombone has undergone such dramatic changes in the last half century than the contrabass trombone.;Recently, thanks to the work of many prominent bass trombonists in Europe and the United States, the contrabass trombone has been played more often, and at a higher level, then ever before. Because of this, more and more modern composers are including the contrabass trombone in their works. The unique timbre of the contrabass trombone has even found a place in both the jazz and commercial idioms, including the Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra and various Hollywood movie soundtracks.;This document not only gives a history of the contrabass trombone from its beginnings to the present day, but also includes the results of a survey that was sent to many American and European bass trombone, contrabass trombone, and tuba players. These surveys are summarized and presented with the hope of answering many of the questions that some may have regarding the contrabass trombone, including when and why it is used. |
