The soprano trombone is usually pitched in B an octave above the tenor. Whether the soprano trombone ever really was used at all in history is still to be proven. The earliest known surviving example dates from 1677. Johann Sebastian Bach composed three cantatas (No. 2, 21 & 38) around 1723, where four trombones are required. There is never an exact name for the first trombone part, but it is quite possibly written for a "Diskant-Posaune". It was used in German-speaking countries to play the treble part in chorales, and this tradition survives in Moravian trombone choirs. Most probably, the "Stadt-Pfeiffer", who were supposed to play all instruments, had no problems in changing sizes of the trombone. Perhaps it was easier for them to play fast and high (soprano) melodies on a cornetto than on a trombone, hence the reason that the soprano trombone "disappeared".