Contrabass Trombone
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The contrabass trombone is the member of the trombone family of musical instruments designed to play the lowest-pitched parts. The definition of a particular trombone as contrabass as distinct from bass is not always immediately clear in theory, although in practice confusion is uncommon; the combination of tubing length, tubing diameter profile, and valve attachment arrangement can almost always be seen to give an intuitively 'larger' feel to the playing characteristics of the instrument than would be expected on a bass trombone.
The modern incarnation of the instrument dates from the composition of Richard Wagner's (1813-1883) 'Ring' cycle, which was begun in the 1860s; several 'new' instruments were built to Wagner's specification for use in performances, including both contrabass trombone and bass trumpet.
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Design history
Early designs
Centuries prior to Wagner's conception, instruments which would today be known as 'contrabass trombones' were in use. Michael Praetorius (1571-1621), in his organological work 'Syntagma Musicum' (1618), illustrated and referred to an 'octav-posaune', pitched a full octave below the tenor instrument of his day, a principle matching that of Wagner. An extant specimen, pitched in 18' Bb with a long single slide, built by Georg Oller in Stockholm in 1639, is housed in the Musikmuseet, Stockholm.
Wagner
In the substantial interval between the work of Praetorius and the mid 19th century, this early incarnation of the contrabass trombone fell victim to changes in musical taste, and its use became unknown. In the 1860s, Wagner, for the writing in the Ring, demanded a cylindrical brass instrument that was comfortable in a lower tessitura than the tenorbassposaune that his other trombone parts are written for. In response, a double-slide contrabass trombone in 18' Bb was constructed and used. This design attained a degree of popularity, by the early 20th century spreading into the works of other composers (for example, in Richard Strauss' (1864-1949) opera 'Elektra' (1909)), and into brass bands and ensembles. However, it is very unwieldy, and the demands on the player are severe when accuracy is required; it survives today, but, even with modern design innovations, it is typically not the favoured form of the instrument amongst professional performers.
Higher pitched designs - the modern approach
The direct genesis of the modern contrabass trombone began in 1921, when Ernst Dehmel constructed a trombone of contrabass bore size in 12' F, with a single slide and two valves, in the manner of a modern bass trombone. This design proved to be a pragmatic compromise - an instrument which could reach notes in the contrabass register with a full tone, but which could also be played nimbly and also reliably at the extreme altitude at which some contrabass trombone parts surprisingly reach. With the ongoing 'contrabass trombone renaissance', the professional-level instruments that are now offered by manufacturers as diverse as Thein, Kanstul, and Rath are almost invariably in F with two left-hand valves.
Types
Models pitched in 18' Bb
Miraphone Model 57
Models pitched in 16' C
Boosey & Co. 'King Kong'
Models pitched in 13' Eb
Dick Tyack custom instrument
Models pitched in 12' F
Haag 43 AV, 43 HV, 43 LV
Kanstul, Zigmunt 1690
Lätzsch, Herbert SL 600, SL 620
Rath, Michael R90
Thein, Max and Heinrich Ben van Dijk model
Models pitched in 11' G
Larry Minick custom instruments
Cimbasso
Valved contrabass trombones
Repertoire
The contrabass trombone has only been scored for relatively rarely within the orchestral repertoire. The following is as full as possible a list of works whose scoring includes it:
Bach, Johann Sebastian/arr. Sir Henry Wood: Toccata & Fugue in D minor
Berg, Alban: Wozzeck
Boulez, Pierre: Pli selon pli, Eclat/multiples
Brian, Havergal: Symphony No. 1 in D minor ("The Gothic")
Butting, Max: Symphony No. 9
Cage, John: Thirty Pieces for Five Orchestras
Henze, Hans Werner: Requiem
D'Indy, Vincent: Symphony No. 2, Op. 57, Jour d'été sur la montagne, Op. 61, Souvenirs, Op. 62, Symphony No. 3 ('Sinfonia Brevis de bello Gallico'), Op. 70, Poème des rivages, Op. 77
Krenek, Ernst: Symphony No. 2
Ligeti, György: Requiem
Norgard, Per: Symphony No. 6 ("At the End of the Day")
Panufnik, Andrzej: Symphony No. 8 ("Sinfonia Votiva")
Pärt, Arvo: Arbos
Puccini, Giacomo: Turandot
Respighi, Ottorino: I Pini di Roma
Reznicek, Emil Nicolaus von: Der Gondoliere des Dogen
Schoenberg, Arnold: Gurrelieder
Strauss, Richard: Elektra
Stravinsky, Igor: Canticum Sacrum
Varèse, Edgar: Arcana, Intégrales, Amériques
Verdi, Giuseppe: Otello, Falstaff, Quattro Pezzi Sacri
Wagner, Richard: Der Ring des Nibelungen (Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, Götterdämmerung)
Webern, Anton: Sechs Stücke
Winbeck, Heinz: Symphony No. 3 "Grodek"
Zimmerman, Bernd Alois: Die Soldaten, "Ich wandte mich und sah an alles Unrecht, das geschah unter der Sonne", Stille und Umkehr
