Amanda Reiss, age 14, of Hutchinson, Kan., for her question:

WHEN DID THE TROMBONE ORIGINATE?

The trombone is a brass wind instrument with a cylindrical bore, a cup shaped mouthpiece and a slide mechanism. It originated about 1400 as an improvement to the trumpet and was built in various sizes, the most common being alto, tenor and bass.

Except for its thicker metal and narrower bell, which yielded a softer, mellower tone, the early trombone was basically identical to the modern one. Called sackbut, from the Spanish word "sacabuche" which means "pull tube," the trombone was a favored instrument in church and chamber music.

The trombone's popularity declined about 1700, except in town bands, but entered the expanded military band in the late 1700s when it gained its present widely flared bell. Trombones with valves were introduced in the 1800s but were judged inferior in tone.

Today the trombone is one of the favorite orchestra brass wind instruments. Although such composers as Wolfgang Mozart ("Don Giovanini" in 1787) and Ludwig van Beethoven ("Fifth Symphony" in 1808) wrote special music for the trombone, it was not firmly established in the orchestra until about 1850.