Trumpet History
One of the oldest musical instruments still in use today is the Alphorn,
During the Middle Ages, the trumpet, more than any other instrument, was associated with pomp and pageantry. It was known as the "nobleman" among musical instruments, because trumpet performers stood at the king's right hand. In English manuscripts of the thirteen century, the trumpet appears as a straight cylindrical tube, made of metal with a flaring bell at one end. Because of its length (over 6') and its normal tendency to bend, the instrument was eventually folded into a wide, flattened S.
By the beginning of the sixteenth century, the trumpet evolved three straight lengths of tubing which lay parallel to each other and were united by pieces of U-shaped tubing.
Early in the seventeenth century the Trompeterkameradschaft, a professional trumpeters' union was formed. Each member of the union was identified by the part they played. The trumpet in this century was known as the natural trumpet because it had no valves, slides, or pistons. The art of playing the natural trumpet was known as "clarino" playing, which reached its peak in the works of Bach and Handel.
During the eighteenth century crooks and tuning slides became popular. Crooks consisted of coiled brass tubes that could be inserted into the main tube to increase its length. By inserting a crook trumpeters were able to change their instrument's length to accommodate the keys of the music they were playing. In 1788 Charles Clogget invented the first valve, and in 1801 Widinger of Vienna improved it by putting five keys on his trumpet, enabling him to play the chromatic scale. The development of the valve made possible the modern-day trumpet. In 1813 Frederick Bluehmel added the rotary valve to brass instruments, and in 1815 Stolzel, a German, added improvements. Perinet of Paris and Antoine (Adolph) Sax brought numerous mechanical improvements to our present-day instrument.
Trumpet Foreign Language Identification
English |
French |
Italian |
German |
| Bb Piccolo Trumpet | Petite Trompette en Sib | Ottavino Tromba in Sib | Kleine Trompete in B |
| F Trumpet | Trompette en Fa | Tromba in Fa | Trompete in F |
| Eb Trumpet | Trompette en Mib | Tromba in Mib | Trompete in Es |
| D Trumpet | Trompette in Re | Tromba in Re | Trompete in D |
| C Trumpet | Trompette in Ut | Tromba in Do | Trompete in C |
| Bb Trumpet | Trompette in Sib | Tromba in Sib | Trompete in B |
| A Trumpet | Trompette en La | Tromba in La | Trompete in A |
Transposition Information
An easy way to determine what to do when confronted with a trumpet transposition problem is to first decide which trumpet would produce the desired sound for the part in question. This decision would include consideration of: 1) the historical period of the music (baroque, classical etc.), 2) the ensemble the music will be played by (orchestra, chamber ensemble, etc.), 3) consultation with the conductor or musical director, and 4) the acoustics of the performance site. After the trumpet for performance has been decided the following ratio will help decide the transposition and new key
| This is an original part for Tromba in Do |  |
| If the performer of the Tromba in Do part decided to play the part on a Bb trumpet these are the notes and key that would be played. |  |
| This is an original for for Trompete in F |  |
| If the performer of the Trompete in F part decided to play it on a Bb trumpet these are the notes and key that would be played. |  |
| This is an original part for Trompette en La |  |
| If the performer of the Trompette en La part decided to play it on a C trumpet these are the notes and key that would be played. |  |
