View source for Engineering:Soprano trombone

{{Short description|Musical instrument in the trombone family}}
{{Infobox instrument
  | name           = Soprano trombone
  | names          = {{hlist
    | Slide trumpet
    | Slide cornet
  }}
  | image          = Jean Baptiste soprano trombone (white bg).png
  | image_capt     = Soprano trombone in B♭
  | background     = brass
  | classification = {{hlist
    | [[Engineering:Wind instrument|Wind]]
    | Brass
    | Aerophone
  }}
  | hornbostel_sachs = 423.22
  | hornbostel_sachs_desc = Sliding aerophone sounded by lip vibration
  | developed      = Late 17th century
  | range          = <div style="text-align: center; background-color: white;">
  <score lang="lilypond">
    {
      \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" }
      \clef treble \key c \major \cadenzaOn
      e1 \glissando c'''1
    }
  </score></div> The sounding range of the B♭ soprano trombone is the same as the B♭ trumpet.{{sfn|Herbert|Myers|Wallace|2019|p=481|loc=Appendix 2: The Ranges of Labrosones}}
  | articles       =
  | musicians      = {{hlist | <!-- alphabetical by surname -->
    | Louis Armstrong
    | Steven Bernstein
    | Dizzy Gillespie
    | Wycliffe Gordon
    | Torbjörn Hultmark
    | Christian Scott
  }}
  | builders      = {{hlist | <!-- alphabetical -->
    | Jinbao
    | Miraphone
    | Thein
    | Helmut Voigt
    | Wessex
  }} Historical: {{hlist
    | Jupiter
    | Kanstul (c. 2005–2020)<ref name="manuf"/>
  }}
  | related        = {{hlist
    | [[Engineering:Firebird (trumpet)|Firebird]]
    | [[Engineering:Trombone|Trombone]]
    | [[Engineering:Trumpet|Trumpet]]
  }}
}}

The '''soprano trombone''' (sometimes called a '''slide trumpet''' or '''slide cornet''', especially in jazz) is the soprano instrument in the [[Engineering:Trombone|trombone]] family of brass instruments, pitched in B♭ an octave above the [[Engineering:Tenor trombone|tenor trombone]]. As the [[Physics:Bore (wind instruments)|bore]], bell and mouthpiece are similar to the B♭ [[Engineering:Trumpet|trumpet]], it tends to be played by trumpet players rather than trombonists.
Compared to [[Engineering:Tenor trombone|tenor]], bass, or even uncommon alto, the soprano is a rare trombone. Seldom used in classical music since its first known appearance in 1677, it survived principally in the trombone ensembles of Moravian Church music. During the 20th century some soprano trombones—dubbed ''slide cornets''—were made as novelties or for use by jazz trumpet players including Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. A small number of contemporary proponents of the instrument include jazz artists Wycliffe Gordon and Christian Scott, and classical trumpeter Torbjörn Hultmark, who advocates for its use as an instrument for young children to learn the trombone.

== History ==

Whether the soprano trombone was ever widely used in history is still a matter for debate.<ref name="weiner-2001-hoax">{{cite journal |title=The Soprano Trombone Hoax |first=Howard |last=Weiner |journal=Historic Brass Society Journal |volume=13 |date=2001 |pages=138–160 |url=https://www.historicbrass.org/edocman/hbj-2001/HBSJ_2001_JL01_008_Weiner.pdf |access-date=27 April 2022 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127232731/https://historicbrass.org/edocman/hbj-2001/HBSJ_2001_JL01_008_Weiner.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The earliest surviving instrument was made in 1677, held by the Kremsegg musical instrument museum.<ref name="laubhold-hbaj-2000">{{cite journal |title=Sensation or forgery? The 1677 soprano trombone of Cristiann Kofahl |first=Lars E. |last=Laubhold |journal=Historic Brass Society Journal |publisher=Historic Brass Society |date=2000 |volume=12 |pages=259–65 |url=https://www.historicbrass.org/edocman/hbj-2000/HBSJ_2000_JL01_013_Lauphold_Weiner.pdf |access-date=2 May 2022 |archive-date=9 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709180825/https://www.historicbrass.org/edocman/hbj-2000/HBSJ_2000_JL01_013_Lauphold_Weiner.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> German [[History:Baroque music|Baroque]] composer Johann Sebastian Bach composed three cantatas (BWV 2, 21 & 38) around 1723 with four trombone parts; the highest was written in soprano clef, for a {{lang|de|diskant-posaune}} ({{lit.|descant trombone}}).{{sfn|Yeo|2021|page=137–8|loc="soprano trombone"}}

[[File:Emaus-trombone-choir.jpg|thumb|Trombone Choir of the Moravian Church in Emaus, Pennsylvania, c. 1900. Two in the front row are holding soprano trombones.]]
The soprano trombone was used in German-speaking countries to play the treble part in chorales, and this tradition survives in the trombone choirs of Moravian Church music.{{sfn|Yeo|2021|page=137–8|loc="soprano trombone"}} Outside of this, there is little evidence of the instrument being employed in musical ensembles or written works since the 18th century. This may have been because the {{lang|de|Stadtpfeiffer}} ({{lit.|town pipers}}), who were trained to play all instruments, found fast and high (soprano) passages easier to play on the [[Engineering:Cornett|cornett]].{{sfn|Herbert|2006|p=28}}

Soprano trombone is seldom mentioned in the major orchestration treatises of the 19th century. German musicologist Adolf Bernhard Marx (1847) and English music scholar Ebenezer Prout (1897) only mention the soprano to state that it is considered obsolete, and French organist and composer Charles-Marie Widor in his 1904 treatise only mentioned that some manufacturers were still making them, while describing the alto as obsolete.{{sfn|Guion|2010|p=52}}

During the 20th century some soprano trombones—dubbed ''slide cornets'' or later, ''slide trumpets''—were made as novelties or for use by jazz players. These were used by a few jazz trumpet players like Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, but otherwise have not been widely adopted.{{sfn|Yeo|2021|page=137–8|loc="soprano trombone"}}<ref name="Louis-Amstrong-photo">{{cite AV media |author-first=Gilles |author-last=Petard |title=King Oliver And His Creole Jazz Band |others=Armstrong, Louis (slide trumpet) |publisher=[[Company:Getty Images|Getty Images]] |date=c. 1923 |type=Photograph |url=https://www.gettyimages.fi/detail/uutiskuva/king-oliver-and-his-creole-jazz-band-studio-group-portrait-uutiskuva/991925076 |access-date=23 May 2023 }}</ref><!-- this famous photograph of Louis Armstrong posing with a soprano trombone "slide trumpet" with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band would be wonderful here, but it is currently "rights-managed" by Jazz at Lincoln Center/Frank Driggs Collection/Getty Images. See also https://www.flickr.com/photos/42950209@N05/17860484589 -->

== Construction ==

The B♭ soprano trombone is built with dimensions similar to the B♭ trumpet. The [[Physics:Bore (wind instruments)|bore]] size is between {{convert|0.450|and|0.470|in|mm}}, and the bell is {{convert|5|to|6|in}} in diameter. It usually takes a trumpet mouthpiece, although some instruments are made with a smaller shank to take a [[Engineering:Cornet|cornet]] mouthpiece.<ref name="manuf" />
The slide of a soprano trombone is much shorter than that of a standard [[Engineering:Tenor trombone|tenor trombone]], with the slide positions only half the distance apart.

Soprano trombones are made by several trombone manufacturers, often as inexpensive novelty instruments, although high quality professional instruments are made by Kanstul, Miraphone, Thein and others.<ref name="manuf">{{unbulleted list citebundle
 | {{Cite web |title=Soprano trombones |publisher=Helmut Voigt |publication-place=Markneukirchen |url=https://helmut-voigt.com/diskantposaune/ |access-date=1 March 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301110151/https://helmut-voigt.com/diskantposaune/ |archive-date=1 March 2023 }}
 | {{Cite web |title=JBST-1800拉管小号降B调 |publisher=Jinbao |publication-place=Tianjin |language=zh |url= http://www.jinbaomusic.com/index.php?s=index/show/index&id=664 |access-date=17 November 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231117005820/http://www.jinbaomusic.com/index.php?s=index%2Fshow%2Findex&id=664 |archive-date=17 November 2023 }}
 | {{Cite web |title=Model 150 B♭ Soprano Trombone |publisher=Kanstul Musical Instruments |publication-place=Anaheim, CA |url= https://www.kanstul.com/instruments/trombones/150-bb-soprano-trombone/ |access-date=17 November 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230102030605/https://www.kanstul.com/instruments/trombones/150-bb-soprano-trombone/ |archive-date=2 January 2023 }} Ceased operations in 2020.
 | {{Cite web |title=Bb soprano slide trombone |publisher=Miraphone eG |publication-place=Waldkraiburg |url=https://www.miraphone.de/bb-soprano-slide-trombone-2.html |access-date=28 April 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523024359/https://www.miraphone.de/bb-soprano-slide-trombone-2.html |archive-date=23 May 2023 }}
 | {{Cite web |title=Soprano Trombone |publisher=Thein Brass |publication-place=Bremen |url=https://thein-brass.de/en/instrument/soprano-trombone/ |language=en |access-date=28 April 2022 |archive-date=7 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307015834/https://thein-brass.de/en/instrument/soprano-trombone/ |url-status=live }}
 | {{Cite web |title=Soprano Trombone – PB453 |work=Wessex Tubas |url=https://www.wessex-tubas.com/products/soprano-trombone-pb453 |access-date=1 March 2023 |archive-date=1 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301110142/https://www.wessex-tubas.com/products/soprano-trombone-pb453 |url-status=live }}
}}</ref>

In the early 2010s, trumpeter Torbjörn Hultmark of the [[Organization:Royal College of Music|Royal College of Music]] commissioned the first soprano trombone with an F attachment, built by German maker Thein Brass.<ref name="janesalmon-blog-2016"/> Helmut Voigt, another German manufacturer, also makes a soprano with an F valve.<ref name="manuf"/>

=== Sizes<span class="anchor" id="Sopranino and piccolo trombones"></span> ===

[[File:Piccolo trombone by Jinbao.png|thumb|Piccolo trombone in B♭]]
Trombones smaller than the soprano have only been built since the 1950s, when they first appeared as novelty or "show" instruments.{{sfn|Guion|2010|p=3}}

The {{Visible anchor|Sopranino trombone|text='''sopranino trombone'''}} in E♭, a fourth higher than the soprano and an octave above the alto, exists only in small numbers custom made for Moravian churches in the United States.{{sfn|Yeo|2021|page=106|loc=Piccolo trombone}}

The {{Visible anchor|Piccolo trombone|text='''piccolo trombone'''}} in B♭ is an octave above the soprano. It is essentially a [[Engineering:Piccolo trumpet|piccolo trumpet]] with a slide instead of [[Engineering:Brass instrument valve|valves]], and is used with a piccolo trumpet mouthpiece.{{sfn|Yeo|2021|page=106|loc=Piccolo trombone}} Bore sizes are {{convert|0.460|in|mm}} or smaller, with bells approximately {{convert|4|in|cm|0}} in diameter. The piccolo is offered by Thein, Chinese manufacturer Jinbao, and Wessex.<ref name="manuf-pic">{{unbulleted list citebundle
 | {{Cite web |title=Piccolo Trombone |publisher=Thein Brass |publication-place=Bremen |url=https://thein-brass.de/en/instrument/piccolo-trombone/ |access-date=28 April 2022 |archive-date=27 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427214712/https://thein-brass.de/en/instrument/piccolo-trombone/ |url-status=live }}
 | {{Cite web |title=JBSL-8150小号Bb/A |language=zh |publisher=Jinbao |publication-place=Tianjin |url=http://www.jinbaomusic.com/index.php?s=index/show/index&id=883 |access-date=16 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209062509/http://www.jinbaomusic.com/index.php?s=index/show/index&id=883 |archive-date=9 February 2023 |url-status=live }}
 | {{Cite web |title=Piccolo Trombone – PB300 |work=Wessex Tubas |url=https://www.wessex-tubas.com/collections/trombones-and-sackbut/products/piccolo-trombone-pb300 |access-date=28 April 2022 |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129103849/https://www.wessex-tubas.com/collections/trombones-and-sackbut/products/piccolo-trombone-pb300 |url-status=live }}
}}</ref>
Thein also make a novelty {{Visible anchor|Piccolino trombone|text='''piccolino trombone'''}} in F, a fourth higher than the B♭ piccolo, originally made for the German Brass ensemble.<ref name="thein-piccolino">{{Cite web |title=Piccolino Trombone |publisher=Thein Brass |publication-place=Bremen |url=https://thein-brass.de/en/instrument/piccolino-trombone/ |access-date=16 November 2023 |archive-date=25 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325135902/https://thein-brass.de/en/instrument/piccolino-trombone/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Performance, range and pedagogy ==

The soprano trombone's similarity to the trumpet—its high pitch, mouthpiece size and narrow embouchure—means it is usually played by trumpeters. The player must combine both trumpet playing and trombone slide techniques to control intonation and note selection accuracy.

{{Image frame | caption = The (sounding) range of the B♭ soprano trombone.{{sfn|Herbert|Myers|Wallace|2019|p=481|loc=Appendix 2: The Ranges of Labrosones}}
  | innerstyle = background:white;text-align:center;padding:0.5em 0 | width = 160
  | content = <score lang="lilypond">
    {
      \new Staff \with { \remove "Time_signature_engraver" }
      \clef treble \key c \major \cadenzaOn
      e1 \glissando c'''1
    }
  </score>
}}
Soprano trombone parts are usually written in treble clef and, like the trumpet, can be in concert pitch or transposed in B{{music|flat}}.
The range of the B{{music|flat}} soprano trombone is similar to the B{{music|flat}} trumpet, E{{sub|3}} to C{{sub|6}}.{{sfn|Herbert|Myers|Wallace|2019|p=481|loc=Appendix 2: The Ranges of Labrosones}}

As part of his "Soprano Trombone Project", Torbjörn Hultmark has used the instrument to successfully begin children on brass instruments from as young as the age of four, and is the world's first registered Suzuki teacher in soprano trombone.<ref name="hultmark-2020-itg">{{cite journal |first=Torbjörn |last=Hultmark |title=What is the best age to start playing a brass instrument? |journal=ITG Journal |publisher=International Trumpet Guild |date=October 2020 |page=46}}</ref> Hultmark has also worked with the British Music Teachers Board to produce a syllabus of grade examinations for the soprano trombone.<ref name="mtbexams">{{Cite web |title=Soprano Trombone Syllabus |publisher=Music Teachers' Board |work=MTB Exams |date=2020 |url=https://www.mtbexams.com/syllabus/soprano-trombone/ |access-date=18 May 2022 |archive-date=20 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520000512/https://www.mtbexams.com/syllabus/soprano-trombone/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Other researchers have reported the soprano trombone can also be used as a pedagogical tool to help trumpet players improve several core aspects of their playing technique.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Soprano Trombone: Pedagogical Applications of the Slide for Trumpeters |last=Spencer |first=Ryan |work=The International Trumpet Guild |date=2021 |access-date=27 April 2022 |url=https://trumpetguild.org/content/videos/84-Research/2209-Spencer-2021 |archive-date=30 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630072355/https://trumpetguild.org/content/videos/84-Research/2209-Spencer-2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Repertoire ==

[[File:Steven Bernstein 2.JPG|thumb|Steven Bernstein performing in Saalfelden, 2009]]
There is very little classical repertoire written specifically for soprano trombone. The earliest pieces are three cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and two passions by Georg Philipp Telemann (as edited by his grandson) from the early 18th century, and a large body of Moravian Church music for trombone choir from the late 18th and 19th century.<ref name="weiner-2001-hoax" />

In contemporary music, composers have very occasionally included soprano trombone in orchestral works. British composer Brian Ferneyhough called for two in his large 2006 work ''Plötzlichkeit''; after playing one of the parts in a performance, Hultmark became a proponent of the soprano trombone as a serious instrument.<ref name="janesalmon-blog-2016">{{Cite web |title=The Soprano Trombone Project |first=Jane |last=Salmon |work=Jane Salmon (blog) |date=23 June 2016 |url=https://janesalmon.info/2016/06/23/the-soprano-trombone-project/ |access-date=20 May 2022 |archive-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521002251/https://janesalmon.info/2016/06/23/the-soprano-trombone-project/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He has written and commissioned new compositions for it, and promotes its use as a first instrument for children.{{sfn|Yeo|2021|page=137–8|loc="soprano trombone"}}

In jazz, some contemporary artists are employing the soprano trombone in their work.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Slide Trumpet |last=Sanborn |first=Chase |work=Halftime Magazine |date=16 April 2013 |url=https://halftimemag.com/sectionals/the-slide-trumpet.html |access-date=20 May 2022 |archive-date=24 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524145924/https://halftimemag.com/sectionals/the-slide-trumpet.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Wycliffe Gordon and Christian Scott both use the instrument in solos and on their albums.<ref name="yt-gordon-solo">{{Cite AV media |title=Wycliffe Gordon plays SWING THAT MUSIC at CancerBlows 2015 |medium=Excerpt from DVD |people=Gordon, Wycliffe (soprano trombone); Saunders, Jay (Music Director) |publisher=CancerBlows |date=16 January 2017 |orig-date=Recorded 4 March 2015 |location=Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, Texas |time=2 min, 57 sec |time-caption=Solo beings at |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTy-NeVaUL4&t=177s |access-date=26 May 2022 |via=YouTube |archive-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525233728/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTy-NeVaUL4&t=177s |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="anthem-review">{{Cite web |title=Album Review: Christian Scott: Anthem |last=Harold |first=C. N. |work=All About Jazz |date=29 October 2007 |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/anthem-christian-scott-concord-music-group-review-by-cn-harold |access-date=28 April 2022 |archive-date=27 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427214716/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/anthem-christian-scott-concord-music-group-review-by-cn-harold |url-status=live }}</ref> New York musician Steven Bernstein has become well known for playing the "slide trumpet" in his band, Sexmob.<ref name="bernstein-bio">{{Cite web |title=Biography |first=Steven |last=Bernstein |work=Steven Bernstein |url=https://www.stevenbernstein.net/about |access-date=20 May 2022 |quote=Bernstein formed Sexmob with saxophonist Briggan Krauss, bassist Tony Scherr and drummer Kenny Wollesen. It remains his primary vehicle for exploring the slide trumpet |archive-date=17 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417215033/https://www.stevenbernstein.net/about |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="npr-sexmob">{{Cite web |title=Sexmob: Live From 92Y Tribeca |last=Jarenwattananon |first=Patrick |work=NPR Music |publisher=NPR |date=9 May 2013 |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/05/09/182462927/sexmob-live-from-92y-tribeca |access-date=20 May 2022 |archive-date=19 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519223512/https://www.npr.org/2013/05/09/182462927/sexmob-live-from-92y-tribeca |url-status=live }}</ref>

== References ==

{{reflist|25em}}

== Bibliography ==

{{refbegin}}
* {{cite Q|Q111039945|last=Guion |first=David M. |date=2010}}
* {{cite Q|Q111039091|last=Herbert |first=Trevor |date=2006}}
* {{Cite Q|Q114571908|editor1-last=Herbert |editor1-first=Trevor |editor2-last=Myers |editor2-first=Arnold |editor3-last=Wallace |editor3-first=John |date=2019 |publication-place=unset }}
* {{Cite Q|Q111040546|last=Yeo |first=Douglas |date=2021}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==

* Torbjörn Hultmark: [http://www.hultmark.me/torbjornsopranot.html Soprano Trombone Project]
* Moravian Music Foundation: [https://moravianmusic.org/topics-of-interest/the-moravian-trombone-choir/ The Moravian Trombone Choir]


[[Category:B-flat instruments]]

{{Sourceattribution|Soprano trombone}}