Trombone contralto

As Printed on a Score

Labels the alto trombone, the top part of the old three-trombone section (alto, tenor, bass), often on a shared staff as Tromboni Alto e Tenore. It is written in alto clef at sounding pitch, which is why the first trombone part of Classical and early Romantic scores is so often in alto clef.

How Composers Use It

Pitched in E-flat (some in F), a fourth above the tenor, with a lighter, brighter, more transparent tone. Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms wrote their first trombone parts for it, and many players now use it again in that repertoire for clarity. Its high register is its strength; it is not a louder trombone. In a new piece, writing for alto trombone means asking a tenor player to double, so state it in the instrumentation.

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