UCLA

This dissertation explores the profound role of the trombone (in German: Posaune) as a musical embodiment of the presence of God, or Coram Deo, and discusses its contribution to the aesthetics of the sublime in compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven.

The first chapter examines the Drei Equali WoO 30, Beethoven’s only work for trombones by themselves. The expressive qualities of these pieces are associated with spiritual and transcendent qualities in the rich historical context of Tower Music (Turmmusik). Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, invites study of Beethoven’s use of the trombone in passages associated with death or ombre style, as found in the grave-digging scene in the last act. Beethoven’s use of the trombone in association to death follows his predecessors such as Mozart, and calls to mind the prominence of the trombone in the Tuba Mirum of the

Mozart Requiem. The second chapter of the dissertation investigates Beethoven’s employment of trombones in the Fifth Symphony to emphasize qualities of brotherhood, freedom, and hope, themes connected to the ideals of the French Revolution, and to those Masonic attributes bound up with the sublime. The Sixth Symphony explores use of the trombones to portray an aspect of fear inherent in the sublime--“Gottesf�rcht” (“fear of God”)--an element referenced in writings by Edmund Burke. The final chapter addresses the Schillerian notion of the sublime embraced by Beethoven in his Ninth Symphony and Missa solemnis. These works employ the trombone to help convey spiritual themes evoking a sense of the sublime. In this pair of choral-orchestral compositions, the distinctive tonal qualities of the trombone, with its deep and resonant sound, enhance the sonic representation of the voice of God or Vox Verbum.

Drawing on an interdisciplinary approach combining musicology, theology, and aesthetics, this project assesses recurring motives, orchestration choices, and other musical techniques that emphasize the trombone’s association with the divine. By examining the special role of the trombone as an instrument with a distinctive range of expressive and spiritual associations, we can enhance our understanding of the relationship between the trombone, spirituality, and the sublime.