Editing Sackbut (section)

== Pitch ==

Until some time in the 18th century, the trombone was in A and the pitch of that A was about a half-step higher than it is today—460–480&nbsp;Hz. There was a transition around the 18th century when trombones started to be thought of in B{{Music|flat}} at around 440&nbsp;Hz. This change did not require a change in the instrument; there was merely a renaming of notes for given slide positions. But it does mean that the baroque and renaissance repertoire was intended to be played at the higher pitch. There are many examples of evidence for this:

* Fellow church instruments that are fixed pitch—cornetts and organs—were [[pitch (music)|pitched]] at approximately A=460–480&nbsp;Hz ("Chorton") across Europe in the Renaissance and baroque eras. High pitch is also seen in Renaissance wind bands.
[[File:Virigiliano il dolcimelo trombone.png|thumb|400px|Virgiliano's treatise ''Il Dolcimeo'' (c. 1600).<!--this image is displayed at more than standard width (400px specified) given its width to allow visibility and prevent the display of extreme image narrowness-->]]
* [[Aurelio Virgiliano]]'s ''Il dolcimelo'' (c. 1600) teaches trombonists that first position gives A, E, A, C<!-- yes this is correct. Not C#. This can make sense. -->, E and G.<ref>Herbert (2006), p.&nbsp;35.</ref>
* In 1687, Daniel Speer's ''Grund-richtiger'' concurs with these notes for the slide all the way in (while describing pushing the slide out a bit to get the C).
* Praetorius describes an alto in D, tenor in A, and bass in D.

The tenor trombones that survive are pitched closest to B{{Music|flat}} at A=440&nbsp;Hz, which is the same as A at A=466&nbsp;Hz. So what we now think of as a tenor trombone with B{{Music|flat}} in first position, pitched at A=440 was actually thought of as a trombone in A (in first position), pitched at A=466.  Surviving basses in D at A=466 (E{{Music|flat}} at 440)—for example: Ehe, 1612 (Leipzig) and Hainlein, c.1630 (Nuremberg) confirm Praetorius' description. It is also worth noting that Rognoni's "Suzanne ung jour" setting descends repeatedly to BB{{Music|flat}}, which is a tone lower than the lowest note playable on a bass in F; on a bass in D, it falls in (modern) fifth position.

Many groups now perform at A=466&nbsp;Hz for the sake of greater historical accuracy.