Sackbut (tenor)

The Neuschel family is Nuremberg’s oldest dynasty of wind instrument makers. Among Neuschel’s customers was Pope Leo X, who ordered silver trombones that Neuschel personally delivered. Neuschel’s adoptive son Georg (Jörg) Stengel, who took the name Neuschl in 1537, became his successor. The trombone pictured here - the second oldest in the world - was made by him in 1557. This instrument clearly shows that the shape of this type of instrument has remained almost unchanged to the present day. However, the walls of the early trombones are somewhat thicker, and the bell is narrower than that of later instruments. The individual tubular parts are connected by simple socket joints, which made transport simpler and facilitated repairs. (rh)

Lit.: Rudolf Hopfner: Masterpieces from the Collection of Historic Musical Instruments. A Short Guide through the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Vol. 1, Vienna 2019.