| The trombone has filled various roles in its extended history. One such role--the trombone as a sign of the sacred--has influenced Western society in the arenas of religion and music. The trombone's frequent use in sacred music performance and its prominent role in Martin Luther's translation of the Bible ensured a strong and lasting association among European populations. The eras of Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic music all have produced works which employ the trombone as a voice for the sacred. Among early Romantic composers, four of the most accomplished--Hector Berlioz, Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner, and Robert Schumann--produced orchestral works which feature the trombone in just such a role. Between 1830 and 1850, works from these composers which use the trombone to signify a sacred topic include Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, Berlioz's Requiem (Grande Messe des morts), Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 2 ("Lobgesang"), Wagner's overture to Tannhauser, and Schumann's Third Symphony ("Rhenish"). These composers, each influenced by preceding and contemporary musical cultures, employed the historic association of the trombone and sacred topics, and passed it down to later Romanticists like Bruckner and Mahler, who also would invoke and further develop the tradition. |
