Trumpet

The trumpet is a three-valve, rarely four-valve high brass instrument. brass instrument which is played as an aerophone with a cup mouthpiece and is blown in accordance with the padpipe principle. The bore is relatively narrow. The arched tube, usually made of brass, is cylindrical over long stretches before it ends conically in the projecting bell. The most common Bb trumpet has a tube length of around 130 cm.

History

As early as 3500 years ago, the Egyptians played metal instruments similar to trumpets, the so-called Scheneb, whose design also influenced the ancient Jewish Chazozra. The first trumpets, such as the Greek salpinx or the Roman tuba, were characterized by their elongated shape without coils. The characteristic hook shape of the Roman lituus and the Celtic carnyx was probably created by combining a straight tube with a curved animal horn as a bell. The Roman cornu was twisted into a large G, while the luren of the Germanic tribes got their shape by imitating mammoth tusks. The preferred material for ancient brass instruments was bronze, which was produced using the lost wax technique.

It remains unclear whether the art of bending reeds was passed down from antiquity to the Middle Ages or had to be rediscovered in the West. Early medieval trumpets were elongated, while coiled forms only appeared in iconographic sources from the 14th century onwards. The term “dromettes” appears as early as 1470 in a Pirna document or later as “drommete” in Martin Luther’s Bible translation of the prophet Isaiah 18:3. Once wound, the long trumpet established itself as the standard form in the late Middle Ages and remained the baroque trumpet until the end of the 18th century. The range of these instruments was limited to the natural tone series, and the mastery of the high register, the so-called clarino blowing, was considered the high art of baroque trumpet music. The existence of a medieval slide trumpet is disputed.

From the late Middle Ages to the Baroque period, the trumpet was regarded as a symbol of power and trumpeters enjoyed a high social status as respected civil servants. Only on high church holidays were they allowed to play together with other musicians for other purposes.

The transition to the valve trumpet was characterized by numerous “chromatized” variants:

The valve trumpet made it possible to play one to two and a half notes lower by means of hand and lip tension, whereby the sound quality suffered greatly and the tone became quieter, duller and more muted. This technique was of little significance for the trumpet.

The invention trumpet was characterized by two U-shaped bows, which had the advantage that the U-bows could be exchanged and thus changed from one basic tuning to another. The disadvantage, however, was that it took too long to change from one tuning to another.

The fanfare trumpet, originally a short, valveless wind instrument, was introduced around 1800 as a signaling instrument for the Prussian cavalry. Later, herald trumpets with fabric coverings, pennants or flags were used for special occasions.

The slide trumpet of the town pipers (Tromba da tirarsi) had a movable leadpipe with which the overall length of the instrument could be changed while playing. The English slide trumpet of the 19th century worked in a similar way to today’s slide trombone with a U-shaped slide that was also fitted with a spring return. A chromatic scale was possible with such instruments, but this reached its limits with increasing virtuosity.

Attempts to equip the trumpet with finger holes were made occasionally in the second half of the 18th century, but did not progress beyond the experimental stage until the 1790s. It was not until 1796 that the keyed trumpet built by Anton Weidinger won over audiences and critics with Joseph Haydn’s trumpet concerto in E flat major. The key systems used today in historical performance practice for baroque trumpet parts are modern adaptations without historical models.

The rotary valve, which diverts the air flow, was invented by Silesian musicians Heinrich Stölzel and Friedrich Blühmel in 1813. The three-valve design commonly used today has been known since 1830. The rotary valve was probably given its final form in 1832 by Joseph Riedl in Vienna.

Valves were installed in a post horn as early as 1831, turning it into a cornet à pistons. With the further development patented by Gustave Auguste Besson in 1837, this cornet became popular in military and salon music.

The process of displacement of the trumpet from the orchestra initiated by the cornet was reversed in favour of the trumpet from around 1890. The Bb trumpet used today, which had already been introduced in Prussian military music in 1828, was introduced as an orchestral trumpet and replaced the lower F trumpet from 1860/70.

Although some claimed that the Bb trumpets did not have the full sound of the F trumpet, many composers paid little attention to the possibilities of the instruments. As a result, musicians increasingly resorted to the easier-to-play Bb or C trumpet, first the high players, then more and more the second and third players. Some Russian composers, including Shostakovich, attempted to establish the F trumpet as the tromba alta in the orchestra.

Structure

The construction of a trumpet is an essential aspect that every beginner should understand before playing. As a member of the brass instruments, the trumpet has an extremely powerful sound despite its compact size of approx. 1.30 m and can easily compete with its larger counterparts.

Most trumpets are made of gold or copper brass, as these metals produce a particularly good sound. However, there are also silver-plated or gold-plated versions, whereby the material used has a direct impact on the price. The basic construction of a trumpet consists of a leadpipe, tuning slide, water keys, valves, finger hooks, mouthpiece and funnel or bell.

The valves are a key distinguishing feature. Most modern trumpets have three valves, either pump valves or rotary valves, which allow for a wider range of tones. However, there are also trumpets without valves, which are known as natural or baroque trumpets. For trumpets with valves, regular maintenance and oiling of the valves is essential.

The mouthpiece can be removed from the trumpet together with the tuning slide and is one of the key elements that significantly influence the sound. Choosing the right mouthpiece is therefore of great importance, as it must match the shape of the player’s lips and teeth.

As the name suggests, the tuning slide is used to tune the trumpet higher or lower and can also be removed from the instrument. During playing, condensation and saliva accumulate in the trumpet, which can distort the sound. This unwanted by-product can be effectively removed by the water flaps to maintain the sound quality.

Sound or sound generation

The sound produced by the trumpet is based on the principle of the padded pipe, which is characteristic of all brass instruments. The lip vibration of the player creates a standing wave in the instrument, whereby the vibrating air in the instrument plays the decisive role. The challenge is to synchronize the lip vibration of the wind player precisely with the vibrating column of air in the instrument. When producing a resonant c1, the wind player’s lips open and close around 250 times per second, with c3 it is even 1000 times, whereby it is mainly the upper lip that vibrates.

The range of natural tones largely corresponds to the overtone series, whereby the actual intonation depends on the exact scale length of the instrument and can only be varied to a limited extent by the player. The variety of sounds is influenced both by the way the lips vibrate and by the scale length of the instrument (including the mouthpiece).

Physiologically relevant for the game is the provision of air pressure from the lungs, which is controlled by the so-called support. The support refers to the control of the respiratory flow by the diaphragm and the abdominal muscles. The mouth muscles, in particular the mouth ring muscle, the lower lip retractor, the corner of the mouth retractor and the corner of the mouth retractor as well as the zygomaticus muscle play an important role. Less important is the so-called trumpet muscle, which inflates the cheeks.

The blowing resistance varies depending on the design (bore) and mouthpiece diameter. Jazz trumpets often use mouthpieces with smaller holes and flatter cups for a crisper, brighter tone. The “Heckel sound” of trumpets with rotary valves is produced by larger cup mouthpieces, a wider bore and thinner walls.

The scale length has the greatest influence on the sound, followed by the thickness and hardness of the material. Thin bell plates require greater hardness and sometimes a stabilizing edge on the bell. Industrially manufactured bells are thicker and do not require such a hard stabilizing edge.

Instrument of the year 2009

The trumpet was voted instrument of the year by the Instrument of the Year 2009. This special award recognizes the importance and versatility of the trumpet and its outstanding role in music.