French composer and musicologist José Berghmans (1921-1992) studied at the Brussels Conservatory and at the Paris Conservatoire under Olivier Messiaen. His The Bearded Lady remains popular within the Trombone repertoire.

Berghmans was a significant composer of film music and therefore, much of his music was dramatic and expressive. The Bearded Lady comes from Berghmans' Fairground Tables. The Bearded Lady is dramatic and expressive, containing much variation in articulation, rhythm, range, tonality and performance directions, amongst other aspects. For all intermediate to advanced trombonists, Berghmans' The Bearded Lady provides an exciting addition to the repertoire.