The Voice of God and Man: Early Trombones and Viols

The lush, dulcet tones of early trombones and vocal viols (violas da gamba) will calm your soul in this special collaboration concert with the Dark Horse Consort.
The sackbut is the predecessor to the modern-day trombone.  The word “sackbut” derives from the ancient French words sacquer (to remove) and bouter (to shove), which describe the manner the instrument is played with its slide.  The sackbut was referred to as a tromba or trombone in Italy, a posaune in Germany, a sacbut, sagbut, shagbolt, and shakbusshe in England, and a sacqueboute in France.  The sackbut evolved from a form of the slide trumpet possibly around 1400, when it was realized that it would be easier to move a double slide (which the modern trombone has) instead of moving the entire instrument over one length of tubing.  The sackbut is a family of instruments, with the standard sizes of alto, tenor, and bass. The sackbut is a versatile instrument that can function in loud and soft band settings for indoor and outdoor events.  It blends well with viols and voices in sacred, indoor settings and shawms and drums for outdoor festivities.  The theorist Mersenne wrote in 1636 that the sackbut “should be blown by a skillful musician so that it may not imitate the sounds of the trumpet, but rather assimilate itself to the sweetness of the human voice, lest it should emit a warlike rather than a peaceful sound.”