Tromba

As Printed on a Score

Tromba (plural Trombe) labels the trumpet staff, abbreviated Tr. or Trbe., with its key: Trombe in D, in C, in F, in B♭ (in B and in Es in German-trained engraving). Read the key: trumpets in D sound a whole step above written, in B-flat a whole step below, in F a fourth above. Tr. can also mean a trill, and Trb. a trombone, so context decides.

Abbreviations: Tr., Tr

Also spelled: Trombe

How Composers Use It

Baroque and Classical trumpets were natural instruments, so their parts sit on the harmonic series of the crook’s key — high and florid in Bach, fanfare-like and paired with timpani in Haydn and Mozart. With valves (from the nineteenth century) the trumpet became fully chromatic and took melodies, while staying the brightest, most commanding brass voice. Write for B-flat or C trumpet today, use a mute for a softer edge, and spare the player’s lip with rests.

Example

Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture: the trumpet staves are labelled “Trombe E♭ I” and “Trombe E♭ II” — trumpets in E-flat, whose written notes sound a minor third higher.