The keyed trumpet, or keyed bugle, is a brass instrument that, contrary to the traditional valved trumpet, uses keys. The keyed trumpet is rarely seen in modern performances, but was relatively common up until the introduction of the valved trumpet in the early nineteenth century. Previous to the invention of the keyed trumpet, the prominent trumpet of the time was the natural trumpet. Image of a trumpet, foreground, a piccolo trumpet behind, and a flugelhorn in background. ... For Trumpet Winsock, see Winsock. ... Natural Trumpet refers to the valveless brass instrument that is able to play the tones of the harmonic series. ...

The Viennese court trumpeter Anton Weidinger was the one who developed the keyed trumpet. On a natural trumpet it is only possible to play in a handful of related keys. Weidinger developed his own trumpet (and called it the "organized trumpet") that was able to play a chromatic scale. Anton Weidinger (June 9, 1767, Vienna - September 20, 1852, Vienna) was an Austrian trumpet virtuoso in the classical era. ... Natural Trumpet refers to the valveless brass instrument that is able to play the tones of the harmonic series. ... The chromatic scale is a scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone or half step apart. ...

Tone of the Keyed Trumpet

Due to its physical characteristics (bore, bell, historical mouthpiece) the Keyed Trumpet is closer in tone to the Natural Trumpet than the valved trumpet. It was once said to have sounded like a "Demented Oboe".

Concertos written for Keyed Trumpet

J. Haydn - trumpet concerto

In 1796 Joseph Haydn wrote his Trumpet Concerto for Weidinger and it was performed on 22nd of March 1800 at the Imperial and Royal Court Theatre. The piece begins with the broken triads and fanfare motifs common to trumpet music of the time (perhaps as a jibe to the audience who had come to see this exciting new kind of trumpet), but follows with chromatic runs and diatonic melodies not possible on the valveless natural trumpet. Portrait by Thomas Hardy, 1792 Franz[1] Joseph Haydn (March 31, 1732 – May 31, 1809) was one of the most prominent composers of the Classical period, and is called by some the Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. A life-long resident of Austria, Haydn spent... Joseph Haydns Trumpet Concerto in E Flat Major was written in 1796, when he was 64 years old, for his long time friend Anton Weidinger. ...

The highest note in the Haydn trumpet concerto is high concert D♭, or high E♭ on a B♭ trumpet, or a high B♭ on E♭ trumpet for which it was written.

J. N. Hummel - trumpet concerto

Like Haydn, Hummel wrote his Trumpet Concerto for Weidinger. It was written and performed in 1803 to mark his entrance into the Esterházy court orchestra in 1804, following Haydn. There are places, primarily in the second movement, where Weidinger is believed to have changed the music because of the execution of the instrument. It is unknown whether this was in agreement with Hummel. Like Joseph Haydn, Johann Nepomuk Hummel wrote his Concerto a Trombe Principale (Trumpet Concerto in E Major) for Viennese trumpet virtuoso and inventer of the keyed trumpet, Anton Weidinger. ...