Egger copy of a natural trumpet by Johann Leonhard EHE II, Nuremberg 1746. The original is now housed in the Germanic National Museum, Nuremberg. Photo used by permission.

A "lip-vibrated aerophone," the baroque trumpet is a musical instrument in the brass family (Smithers 1988). A baroque trumpet is an original instrument used in the 16th through 18th centuries, or a modern replica of an original instrument. Modern reproductions include both natural trumpets and the slightly embellished vented trumpets (Barclay 1998). A musical instrument is a device that has been constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose tone is produced by vibration of the lips as the player blows into a tubular resonator (mouthpiece). ... Natural Trumpet refers to the valveless brass instrument that is able to play the tones of the harmonic series. ...

History

The first trumpets were made by vibrating the lips into an amplifier of some type, like a shell or an animal horn. The first metal trumpets are attributed to the Egyptians, after two trumpets were discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun: one of silver and one of bronze. These types of trumpets were used for signaling, and the sound they produce has been compared to the braying of a donkey. The trumpet’s primary use through most of history has been for signaling, especially in times of war. In the middle Ages, the trumpet began to appear in courts, providing ceremonial fanfares (Tarr 1988). A portrait of the young Tutankhamun by Winifred Brunton. ...

Around 1400, instrument makers discovered the method for tube bending, and the trumpet began to take its familiar curved shape. Around the same time, trumpet players began to experiment with the range of the trumpet. By the 1550s, five part trumpet ensembles requiring each player to perform a different register of the trumpet were appearing (Tarr 1988).

Instruments of the period

Some of the finest surviving examples of trumpets from the Baroque period date back as far as the 1580s, and were made by Anton Schnitzer of Nuremburg (Barclay 1992). Other notable trumpet makers include: the Hainlein family of Nuremburg, the Haas family of Nuremburg, the Ehe family of Nuremburg, and William Bull of London (Bate 1978). All of these instrument makers built what are now called natural trumpets. During the period, however, these instruments would simply have been called trumpets. This article is about the city in Germany. ... Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7,421,328 and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. ...

Natural trumpets are crafted from brass, copper, bronze, or silver, and rely on and a skilled performer. Natural trumpets are difficult to play because they have no method of chromatic alteration, such as the valve on a modern trumpet. Instead, natural trumpets rely on the harmonic series, and pitch bending by the player to fix any pitch problems. The harmonic series is a sequence of harmonics, overtones, or partials that can be created by increasing the frequency of the vibration, in the case of a trumpet, of a column of air (Smithers 1978). Natural Trumpet refers to the valveless brass instrument that is able to play the tones of the harmonic series. ... Pitched musical instruments are usually based on a harmonic oscillator such as a string or a column of air. ...

Modern replicas

Today, replicas of the natural trumpets from the Baroque era are called baroque trumpets. These reproductions are usually employed by period music ensembles to try and achieve a more authentic performance. However, the modern imitations usually include an element not found on the original instruments (Barclay 1998). Period instruments, or playing on period instruments refers to performance of classical music on the original instruments of Renaissance, Baroque or Classicism, or using the historical replicas of the original instruments preserved in the museums. ...

A three hole baroque trumpet by Egger, modeled after Ehe or Haas. Photo used by permission.

A close-up of a 3 hole crook by Andrew Naumann. Photo used by permission.

Modern instruments have what are called vent holes. These are located at an anti-node, or a position where the sound wave reflects off of the inside of the tube. The fingers cover these vents to play in the original key of the instrument. When one of the fingers is lifted, the result is a new length of the air column, producing a different transposition of the harmonic series. The vent holes are available in three hole and four hole variations, allowing the performer to correct virtually every out of tune harmonic in the series (Steele-Perkins 2001). A standing wave. ... In music transposition is moving a note or collection of notes (or pitches) up or down in pitch by a constant interval. ...

A disassembled four hole baroque trumpet by Frank Tomes. Photo used by permission.

However, the sound produced on a vented or baroque trumpet is not of the same quality as that of the natural trumpet. Many baroque trumpets are made using the current machining methods used for modern trumpets, not the hand hammered technique exercised by the master craftsmen like Schnitzer, Haas, Hainlein, Ehe, and others. Unfortunately, some players try to pass these modern instruments off as authentic period instruments, instead of merely noting that the performance was done on a baroque trumpet, and not a natural trumpet (Barclay 1998).

Construction

Because the modern baroque trumpet is modeled after the natural trumpets of the Baroque era, the components of both instruments are nearly identical. There is a mouthpiece, which is inserted into the receiver. The receiver is attached to the long tubing, called the first yard by a short connector, called a ferrule. The first yard is connected by a ferrule to the first bow, followed by another ferrule and the second yard. The second yard is attached by a ferrule to the second bow. On the baroque trumpet, the vent holes are located at the top of the second yard, and possibly on the second bow. After the second bow are the bellpipe, the ball, the bell, garland, and bezel. The bellpipe and first yard are separated by a wood block, and over that is placed a cord for binding (Barclay 1992). A ferrule (possibly the Latin diminutive of ferrum iron) is a name for types of metal objects. ...

References

• Barclay, Robert. 1992. The Art of the Trumpet-Maker. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Barclay, Robert. 1998. A New Species of Instrument: The Vented Trumpet in Context. Historic Brass Journal, vol. 10: p.1-13.
• Bate, Philip. 1978. Instruments of the Orchestra: The Trumpet and Trombone. London: Ernest Benn.
• Smithers, Don L. 1988. The Music and History of the Baroque Trumpet before 1721. 2nd edition. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
• Steele-Perkins, Crispian. 2001. The Trumpet. London: Kahn & Averill.
• Tarr, Edward. 1988. The Trumpet. Translated by S.E. Plank. Portland, OR: Amadeus Press.

External links

• http://www.earlybrass.com/nattrump.htm
• http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalTrumpet/
• http://www.baroquetrumpet.com/
• http://www.eggerinstruments.ch/home.htm
• http://www.trumpetmaker.com