The sackbut is a brass wind instrument of the 15th–17th centuries, the direct predecessor of the modern trombone. Like the trombone, it has a telescoping slide to change pitch, but a narrower bore and smaller bell, thanks to which its timbre is softer, warmer, and more delicate.
The sackbut blended ideally with human voices and other instruments, and so was indispensable in the church and courtly music of the Renaissance and early Baroque — in polyphonic works, solemn processions, and ensembles with cornetts. Its noble, “velvety” sound was prized for its ability to support a choir without drowning it. With the revival of authentic performance the sackbut has returned to the stage, and today its soft voice can again be heard in early-music ensembles.
