The dissertation consists of four recitals: three solo recitals and one lecture recital. The repertoire of all the programs was intended to demonstrate a variety of music written originally for trombone. The lecture recital, "The Trombone in German and Austrian Concerted Church Music of the Baroque Period," was presented on July 3, 1974. The lecture was an attempt to illuminate the position of the trombone, both as an ensemble instrument and as a solo obbligato instrument, in church music of the Baroque period. The program included the performance of two works by Heinrich Schutz for bass voice, four trombones, and continuo; one work by Andreas Hammerschmidt for alto, bass, trombone, and continuo; and one work by Johann Joseph Fux for soprano, trombone, two violins, and continuo. A line of influence was traced from the Venetian composers Giovanni Gabrieli and Claudio Monteverdi, through Schiitz, Hammerschmidt, and Fux, to Mozart.

For all of recorded history musical instruments have been a source of fascination and curiosity for man. Through a major portion of this time one instrument, the trombone, has evolved with a unique design, character, and history. The earliest trombones, called sackbuts, originally had a sliding mechanism located near the mouthpiece. In the sixteenth century this was improved by the addition of the "U-turn" which facilitated holding and playing. This construction innovation was the last major change in trombone design; the trombone of 1600 was essentially the same as the trombone of today.