Contrabass trombone

Contrabass trombone

Contrabass trombone in F
Brass instrument
Classification	Wind Brass Aerophone
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	423.22 (Sliding aerophone sounded by lip vibration)
Developed	Late 19th century
Playing range
Range of the contrabass trombone.[1]
Related instruments
Trombone Bass trombone Cimbasso
Musicians
Bill Reichenbach Phil Teele
Builders
Finke Haag Kromat Lätzsch Leuchter Miraphone Rath Thein Helmut Voigt Jürgen Voigt Wessex[2] Double slide: Miraphone Thein[3] Historical: Halary (1830s) Besson (1860s) Boosey & Co. (c. 1860–1910) Conn (c. 1900) Kanstul (1981–2020)

The contrabass trombone (German: Kontrabassposaune, Italian: trombone contrabbasso) is the lowest-pitched instrument in the trombone family of brass instruments. While modern instruments are pitched in 12 ft (12′) F with a single slide, the first practical contrabass trombones appeared in the mid-19th century built in 18′ B♭ an octave below the tenor trombone with a double slide. German opera composer Richard Wagner notably called for this instrument in his Der Ring des Nibelungen opera cycle in the 1870s, and contrabass trombone has since appeared occasionally in large orchestral works without becoming a permanent member of the modern orchestra.

Since the late 20th century, the double-slide contrabass has largely been supplanted by the less cumbersome bass-contrabass in F, a fourth below the B♭ tenor and bass trombones. In the 21st century the contrabass has enjoyed something of a revival, particularly in film and video game soundtracks.