The late Godfrey Kneller christened the G bass trombone...

...the English Rose

in this article from 1954

One of the distinguishing factors that differentiates a British orchestra from others is its bass trombone. It is English. It is as English as the English rose; and just as there is no other rose to compare with an English rose, so there is no trombone in the world to compare with the warmth, depth, majesty and sonority of sound that our bass trombone produces. It tempers down the brightness of the trumpet, and it makes the tenor trombone sound dignified whatever the spirit of the music, whether it is soft or loud; and when the brass is playing together, the quality of sound that the bass trombone produces is so unlike any other instrument that it binds the whole together into one glorious ensemble.

Now there is a threat that the English bass trombone will be superseded by one from abroad, on which lower notes can be obtained than on the tenor trombone, but which excludes some of the lowest notes obtainable on the English bass trombone. The sound is, of course, completely different from that of our bass trombone. Imagine a tenor singer attempting to sing a bass part, but being able to reach only the lower notes of the baritone range and lacking the quality of the bass.

It has been my privilege and pleasure to play in many famous orchestras and for many famous conductors, and one, after rehearsing Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Victor de Sabata, the distinguished Italian conductor beckoned me to his rostrum. Glaring at me with his blue eyes and Caesar-like expression, he shook me warmly by the hand and said: "What instrument are you playing? Is it an F?" "No, maestro," I replied, "G and D." "G and D," said de Sabata, with an air of astonishment, "where was it made?" "England," I replied, rather proudly. Victor de Sabata's solemn expression gave way to a warm smile. "I like it very much," he said. "It is rich and powerful, a very good bass instrument."

Van Beinum, the renowned conductor of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, expressed his admiration for our bass trombone by using it in his own orchestra in preference to the B flat and F.

On another occasion, just before rehearsing Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, Ernest Ansermet, the brilliant Swiss conductor, said to me: "Of course, you cannot get the low B in the third movement, can you?" My reply was a low B. "Oh!" said Ansermet, somewhat surprised. "That is the first time I have heard the note. On the Continent and in America, they cannot get it, so that I take it up an octave."

Eugene Goossens, the famous composer and conductor, lived in America for more than twenty years, and was the permanent conductor of the Cincinnati Orchestra for a long time. At the rehearsal for a concert in the Albert Hall just after the war he stopped me as I was making my way to the platform and said: "I have made great efforts to introduce the English bass trombone to the Americans, but they won't have it because it means they will have to re-learn the trombone. The instrument the Americans play is unsatisfactory for the low notes, especially for any note lower than C. If they want to get any note lower than C they fake it or take it up an octave." Eugene Goossens is now the conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australia and in this orchestra he uses the English bass trombone.

And so, like my colleagues, I could go on quoting remarks by world-famous conductors that have been made on our bass trombone.

Composers, too, have realised the beauty of this instrument; and you have only to study the scores of many of the great masters to appreciate this. Whether they are Russian, German or French, you can find compositions calling for a luscious and rich bass. I can name at least seven of Tchaikovsky's works that would sound thin without the use of our bass trombone. Could anybody imagine Wagner's operas being performed without the use of a genuine bass trombone capable of producing the Wagnerian sound written by the composer? Like many musicians, I have played plenty of French music. Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Carnaval Romain, César Franck's famous D minor Symphony and many others would sound anaemic in the trombone department with out the use of the proper instruments.

But the existence of the bass trombone is being threatened. The "King" of the orchestra, as my teacher called it some twenty years ago, is being asked to abdicate without a legitimate hearing. At a recent London branch meeting we heard the information that we were about to be invaded by a boat-load of B flat and F "bass" trombones from America.

Who are the people so interested in ousting the English bass trombone, and why are they so inclined? Even after the long period of use in this country, it cannot be said the G trombone is decadent. Bass trombones made by our leading instrument makers are the best in the world and can compete in their work with any instrument, but if the introduction of these instruments is successful the English bass trombone will be no more. Can we allow this to happen?

I do not think so, and that is why at the June meeting of the London branch I spoke in support of a motion put forward by one of my colleagues decrying the use of these foreign trombones. All instrumentalists, composers and conductors must make sure that the profession is not deprived of this national instrument that has served it for so long. "Trombones to the Fore" is the name of a famous march, and this article may seem perhaps a little biased, but some of us feel very strongly that the views of trombonists - and especially those who play the English bass trombone - should be kept well "to the Fore".

Godfrey Kneller, 1910-1992, received his musical education at the Royal College of Music, and served in the Irish Guards Band during the war. He was a member of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Pro Arte Orchestra, and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Sir Thomas Beecham. Latterly he was a highly entertaining and successful lecturer on brass instruments of the orchestra and their history, playing the serpent, ophicleide, six-valved trumpet, hunting horn, etc. plus solos on all the brass instruments of the modern orchestra. Godfrey had a special gift of communicating with young people, and his performances on the hosepipe, curtain rail and bicycle handlebars were a great hit with schoolchildren. Once in a south London school, when the end of his programme coincided with home time, he asked the children if they wanted to go home or have more music. "More music, more music," they chorused, and the lecture ended half an hour late. He made many radio and television appearances, and wrote poetry and articles. We are grateful to the Musicians' Union for permission to reproduce this article, first published under the title "Trombones to the Fore" in "The Musician", July 1954.