Trumpet History

The trumpet is an ancient instrument, its first recorded references being found
in drawings dating to 1500 BC by the Egyptians and the Teutonic tribes. No instr
ument has changed as much during its existence as these series of instruments. T
he prehistoric trumpet was 120 cm long and had a conical tube at one end measuri
ng 10 cm in diameter, expanding to 26 cm at the other. The trumpet's basic desig
n was a single, unvarying tube until the mid 1800s when slides and/or valves wer
e added to make additional notes possible.
Trumpets through history have been generally associated with either military or
religious uses. Authors of antiquity describe the Roman military trumpets' sound
as "horribilus, terribilus, raucus, rudis" (horrible, terrible, raucous, and ro
ugh). Religious users of the instrument include the Romans, Tibetans, and Isaeli
tes, who allowed only priests to play the trumpet. The King James version of the
Bible
makes many references to the instrument, associating it with voices of angels.
The Middle Ages created a profusion of new forms of trumpet. The Saracens' invas
ion of Spain brought many noisy instrument which, like the Christian instruments
, were intended to frighten their enemies.
The Renaissance brought improvements to trumpeters as they gained stature in roy
al courts and the instruments began to be used more for "musical" playing than s
ignalling.
The trumpet's popularity rose during the Baroque years, but declined through the
early 1800s, as it grew too "courtly" and out of favor. The addition of slides
and valves in the 1800s brought new life to the trumpet as it was used more freq
uently in orchestral writing.
While trumpets of the 1800s were built in the keys of F and G, a new instrument,
the Cornet a Pistons ou a Cylindres in B-flat became immediately popular. The
trumpet's existence was again in danger.
Traditionally, trumpet music conveys festive or martial feelings and many parts
were written by baroque composers including Bach (Mass in B Minor) and Handel (D
ettingen Te Deum). Classical composers who wrote notably for the instrument incl
ude Haydn, whose Concerto for Trumpet in E-Flat is a popular piece for the instr
ument.
All in all, the trumpet has been through a lot and is obviously the most importa
nt instrument of all time. It has been one of the few instruments to pass the te
st of time, by adapting and changing with new music and uses.