Backward Advances: Rear-Facing Trombones Throughout History

Trombones have gone through more permutations than some people may realize. Not only has history seen soprano, alto, tenor, bass, contrabass, and valve trombones, but an intriguing permutation of the instrument, called the rear-facing or over-the-shoulder trombone, pops up frequently in pictures and occasionally in museum holdings; e.g., here and here. For a YouTube clip of someone playing such an instrument, see here. (I prefer rear-facing as a descriptive term, since over-the-shoulder does not distinguish from the standard trombone, which already has a rear bow of tubing that extends over the player's shoulder.)

The very earliest examples of this instrument likely reflect the working-out of the shape of the trombone; the standard trombone almost certainly evolved, after all, as a "bent" version of the original straight trumpet. The exact manner and shape it was bent was probably not immediately standardized.

Later, beginning in the late 18th century, there was a more general trend among all brass instruments toward over-the-shoulder instruments (see Boston Brass Band example, below). Trombones were part of this trend, which is said to have been at least partially the result of the desire for better ensemble balance (i.e., they were softer).

Historian David Guion categorizes over-the-shoulder trombones as "no more than a temporary vogue" (Guion, A History 66). I'm not sure I completely agree. It depends on how you define temporary, of course; however, even if you discount the 5 early examples of 1578, c. 1615, c. 1660, 1689, and 1732 for whatever reason, you're still left with a long, steady stream of iconography: 47 images from 9 different countries spanning a full century, suggesting something more than what many would consider a "temporary vogue."

Although there is significant variety, many of the images originate from France, and a large number of them are military. Who knows–we may be due for a resurgence of this interesting version of the trombone!

For additional historical context and full citation of sources, see Trombone History Timeline.

c. 1405—Paris, France: A grotesque from the Hours of Charles the Noble plays what is perhaps a proto-rear-facing trombone. There is no slide, obviously, so it is not a true trombone, but the similarity in general shape is obvious and could be seen as an early development in the direction of rear-facing brass instruments (see below image; public domain) (RIdIM/RCMI Inventory No. 8, p. 21).

1578—Antwerp, Belgium: A set of masses by George de La Hele includes a print–an initial D in front of a group of cherub musicians–that features a rear-facing trombone being played by a cherub (also rear-facing) (see below image; public domain; Wangermée vol. 1 167).

c. 1615—Cislago, Italy: The Church of Santa Maria della Neve contains an anonymous frescoed lunette featuring several angel musicians, including a trombonist playing a rear-facing instrument (see below image; public domain) (Morandi; Farioli).

c. 1660—Pierre Paul Sevin’s drawing of a performance of a mass for 4 choirs includes what appears to be a group of 3 trombones. At least one of them is a rear-facing instrument; the other 2 pictured do not have clearly visible bells (see facing detail and full image below; public domain) (Marx, The Instrumentation of Handel's Early Italian Works).

1689—The Netherlands: An etching by Dutch engraver Romeyn de Hooghe titled L’Europe Allarmée pour le fils d’un Meunier includes what appears to be a rear-facing trombone (see upper-left). The print is a satire against James II (see below image; public domain).

1732—Prague, Czech Republic: Upon restoration of the Strahov monastery, monk-artist Siard Nosecky paints a fresco on the refectory ceiling that includes what appear to be two rear-facing trombones along with two horns and a tromba marina (see detail and full image below; public domain).

1781-1854—Amsterdam, Netherlands: Military Music , a catchpenny print produced by Erve H. Rijnders, includes a rear-facing trombone (see below detail; public domain image) (Catchpenny Prints of the Dutch Royal Library).

c. 1795—France: Trombonist André Braun publishes his method book, Gamme et Méthode pour let Trombones, which includes a position chart showing a rear-facing trombone (Weiner, Braun; Weiner, Braun Revisited; Dudgeon 194).

c. 1800—Germany: A print of military musicians entitled Turkische Musick der K. Baierischen Grendier Garde, now held in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, includes a rear-facing trombone (see below detail; public domain).

c. 1800—Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Philipp Jakob Döring publishes a sheet of cut-outs of military musicians that includes a rear-facing trombone (see below detail; public domain) (German National Museum).

1805—Netherlands: A watercolor labeled Batavian Republic (now the Netherlands) and dated 1805 features trombonist in military uniform playing a rear-facing instrument (see below image; public domain) (New York Public Library Digital Gallery).

1806—France: An image depicting several French military musicians includes a rear-facing trombone (see below center); also included is another now-obsolete instrument, the serpent (see below right) (public domain image, source: New York Public Library Digital Gallery).

1807-08—Germany: Christoph and Cornelius Suhr, in their book on military uniforms in Hamburg (Abbildung der uniformen aller in Hamburg ), depict musicians from the Dutch military in Hamburg from the years 1807-08. Included is a musician with an awkwardly-rendered rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain).

1810-40—Strasbourg, France: An image by artist Boersch Thiébaut (1782-1861) that is part of set of figurines executed between 1810 and 1850 features musicians of the 14th Regiment, including 2 rear-facing trombones (see below image; public domain) (Paris, musée de l’Armée).

c. 1820—France: An etching titled The French Garrison, probably set in Normandy, depicts a group of French soldiers mingling with villagers. A fiddler and a regiment trombonist with a rear-facing instrument provide music for dancing while standing on a makeshift stage (see top-right of below image; public domain) (Fromrich 24).

c. 1820–Paris, France: An anonymous illustration of a French military band includes two rear-facing trombones (see top row of below image; public domain) (Camus, Military Musicians).

1820-39—Rotterdam, Netherlands: A catchpenny print by T.C. Hoffers and A. van Alphen depicting several different military instruments includes 2 rear-facing trombones, one of which has a dragon-head bell (a type of trombone often called a buccin ) (see below detail; public domain; Catchpenny Prints of the Dutch Royal Library).

1821—Italy: A depiction of a carpenter and 3 musicians from the Italian grenadiers includes a musician with a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (Melegari 147).

1824—Belgium: A pen and ink drawing of a Belgian military trombonist depicts a player in full military regalia playing a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (New York Public Library Digital Gallery).

c. 1825—France: Pellerin, publisher of French popular prints, publishes an image titled Musique d’Infanterie Francaise, which includes a soldier with a rear-facing trombone (see below detail; public domain) (Paris, Museum of Civilization in Europe and the Mediterranean).

1825-1850—Strasbourg, France: The Wurtz and Pées family produces paper figurines of various military units. Among them are numerous military musicians, including several with rear-facing trombones (see below 4 images; public domain).

1826—Broek, Netherlands: March of the Cavalry , a “catchpenny” military print that features numerous musicians, includes a man playing a rear-facing trombone on horseback (see below detail; public domain).

1828—Paris, France: Caricaturist J. J. Grandville depicts a country dance in his lithograph, Sundays of a Good [Middle-Class] Citizen. At the front-center of the orchestra is a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (Fromrich 29).

c. 1830—Vienna, Austria: K.k. Österreichischer Militair Leichen-Conduct, lithograph no. 8 from a series edited by Michael Tretsentsky, shows a military band that includes trombones. The configuration is somewhat unusual in that it includes both traditional and rear-facing trombones (see below image; public domain) (Pirker).

1831—Belgium: A lithograph titled Musiciens d’infanterie belge , or “Belgian infantry musicians,” portrays a military musician holding what appears to be a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (Bibliotheque royale Albert I; Wangermée vol. 2, 264).

1832—Belgium: A print by Belgian artist Jean-Baptiste Madou titled Officier Garde Civique Premier depicts an officer of the Belgian Civil Guard. Behind the officer stands a military musician who appears to be holding a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (New York Public Library Digital Gallery). For a similar image, see 1831 (above).

1834–Paris, France: In his trombone method book, Grande Méthode de trombone, Vobaron includes a graphic showing a rear-facing trombone from both sides (see below image; public domain).

c. 1839—Fribourg, Switzerland: Musica militaris, a print depicting musicians of the boarding school of Fribourg, features a percussionist and a trombonist with a rear-facing bell (see below image; public domain) (Bovet and Curchod 28).

1845—Prague, Czech Republic: A drawing satirizing the Prague music conservatory (Satira na prazské hudební konzervativce ) includes at least one rear-facing trombone (see upper-left of below image), and probably two (see upper-right) (public domain image) (Volek, pl. 315).

1847—Paris, France: An article in the periodical L’Illustration titled “Le Pupitre de Palestrina” (“The Desk of Palestrina”) is accompanied by an image by Henri Valentin that includes a rear-facing trombone in what appears to be an attempt at a historical representation of a Palestrina-era performance (see far left of below image; public domain) (L’Illustration, vol. 9, May 1, 1847, p. 137).

1848—Paris, France: Georges Kastner’s treatise on military music, Manuel Général de Musique Militaire , features illustrations of a number of different types of trombones used in military music, including rear-facing valve trombone (see below image; public domain) (Kastner, Militaire Pl. XVII).

c. 1850—Brussels, Belgium: Musicien et trompette de cuirassiers, a lithograph by Henri Hendrickx, portrays a Belgian infantry musician playing on what may be a rear-facing trombone, the bell obscured by the player’s helmet (see below image; public domain) (Bibliotheque royale Albert I; Wangermée vol. 2, 263).

1851–Boston, Massachusetts: A woodcut from Gleason's Pictorial Magazine (August 9, 1851) depicts the Boston Brass Band, which utilizes exclusively over-the-shoulder brass instruments (including trombones; see left side of below image; click for larger image) (public domain image).

1852—Paris, France: A print by Janet-Lange entitled The Elections in England, published a French illustrated newspaper, includes a rear-facing trombone among a small group of musicians (see detail below; public domain) (L’Illustration, July 17, 1852, p. 33).

1853—Paris, France: The illustrated newspaper L’Illustration publishes a graphic, “La danse aux camps,” depicting a military celebration with a four-man dance band in the upper-left that includes what appears to be a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (L’Illustration, vol. 22, July 23, 1853, p. 64).

1854–Paris, France: Moderne Musik, a print satirizing current trends in classical music, appears in the periodical Journal pour rire. Among the musicians is a trombonist with a rear-facing instrument. It's interesting that the artist would choose a rear-facing trombone to represent modern music, when a traditional front-facing trombone would have blasted more directly into the symbolic "public ear" (see detail and full image below; public domain) (Worbs 191).

1855—New York, New York: Theodore Benecke's illustration, Sleighing in New York, includes a band performing from the balcony of Barnum’s Museum. The trombonist in the band plays a rear-facing trombone (see below detail; public domain) (Eno Collection of City Views, New York Public Library; Bowles, Timpani 295).

1856-1900—The Netherlands: The publisher Glenisson & Sons publishes a print of military musicians that includes 2 rear-facing trombones (see below detail; public domain) (Catchpenny Prints of Royal Dutch Library).

1861—Paris, France: A print published in the periodical L’Illustration, after a drawing by Rogier, depicts the entry and reception of European Commissioners in Damascus. Among the instruments in the brass band is a rear-facing trombone (see below detail; public domain) (February 23, 1861, p. 119).

1865—Paris, France: A satirical graphic titled Domestic joys of parents whose daughters take part in women’s orchestras, published in Le monde illustré, includes a woman playing a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (Le monde illustré, 9, no. 442; Sept 30 1865).

1865—Paris, France: A print by caricaturist Honoré Daumier depicting a group of country musicians (Musique de Fete Champetre) includes a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (Brandeis University Collection; Gartenberg 42).

1866-1897—The Netherlands: Printer Franciscus Anthonius Beersmans publishes a woodcut, "Ten strijde!" (“To battle!”), that features several Dutch military musicians, including one with a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (Catchpenny Prints of the Netherlands Royal Library).

1869—Paris, France: A print by Alfred-Henri Darjou entitled The Entertainers Behind the Barracks appears in the French illustrated newspaper, L’Illustration. Four musicians–flute, rear-facing trombone, ophicleide, and drums–rehearse together at a makeshift table, while others rehearse their own roles or complete various chores (see below image; public domain) (L’Illustration vol. LIV, July 24, 1869, p. 60).

1871—Paris, France: A lithograph titled A propos de la crise monétaire (“about the currency crisis”) from a series of prints by French caricaturist B. Moloch (B. Colomb) called Les Silhouettes de 1871 depicts a woman playing a rear-facing trombone, along with a well-dressed man wearing a sign asking for pity and donations (see below image; public domain).

1871—Paris, France: Léonce Schérer depicts a man with a rear-facing trombone in the caricature, Souvenirs de la Commune (see below image; public domain) (Victoria & Albert Museum).

1871—Paris, France: An illustration by Alfred-Henri Darjou entitled De Paris a Meaux pendant l'Armistice is printed in the periodical L'Illustration. One of the musicians in the back appears to be playing a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (L’Illustration vol. LVII, March 18, 1871).

1875-1900—Epinal, France: French Music (Dragoons), a print published by Pellerin in the last quarter of the 19th century, depicts a group of military musicians on horseback, including one playing a rear-facing trombone (see below detail; public domain image) (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilization).

1880–Paris, France: Léo Taxil's Calotte et calotins, histoire illustrée du clergé et des congrégations includes an illustration, signed Frid'Rick and entitled "Le Ciel" ("Heaven"), that features an angel playing a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain).

1889–Stuttgart, Germany: The periodical Neue Musikzeitung publishes an illustration by C. Zopf accompanying a poem about a serenade-gone-bad. The illustration includes a musician with what appears to be a rear-facing trombone (see below image; public domain) (vol. 10, p. 121).

1890—New Orleans, Louisiana: An anti-jazz cartoon by F. Bildestein, published on the cover of the newspaper The Mascot, depicts a rear-facing trombone with a jazz group (see detail and full image below image below) (public domain image; source: wikimedia commons).