The probable derivation of the word sackbut is from the old French verbs sacquer and bouter, which aptly describe the pulling and pushing arm motion of the player. The Italian name for it from its first appearance in the mid-15th century was always trombone—we just tend to use sackbut today to distinguish it from its modern counterpart. Evolving quickly from the single-slide instrument, the slide trumpet, the sackbut has changed perhaps the least of any instrument in common use today. Its earliest ensemble use seems to have been as a regular member of the shawm band.
Shawms &
