Trills in Handel's Water Music

[mcamilleri]

Our next concert will include Handel's Water Music

I know I can't match the sound of a natural D trumpet on my Bb, but I want to get the style right on the trills at least. Did the D trumpets have holes to facilitate the E----DEDED--C-C----- trill in the final phrase or would it have been done as a lip trill? Any period experts out there that know?

Thanks
Michael
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[Nonsense Eliminator]

Michael --

Historically, natural trumpets had no holes. They are a modern addition in order to facilitate better intonation and accuracy. So, to answer your question, all trills in music written for natural trumpet would have been performed as lip trills.
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Richard Sandals
NBO ~ HSSB ~ TNB

[mcamilleri]

Thanks Richard. I'll work on my lip trills, and see how they sound with the 2nd trumpet player. Ultimately the conductor will decide.

The trill F#-G# on a Bb trumpet is easily done on 2-3. One advantage of a Bb trumpet I suppose - on a C trumpet it would be an E-F# trill which can only be lip trilled on 1-2-3, which I think might sound a bit dodgy, and you can't lip trill C-D on a modern D trumpet.

Michael
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Michael --

I'm sure you're aware that most modern performances of Water Music would use either piccolo or D trumpet. In either case, lip trills would be pretty much out of the question, so I think it's fair to say that regardless of the instrument you're using, the only criterion to use is whether or not the trills sound good. I really wouldn't want to play Water Music on B flat, but if I had to, I would probably not be inclined to use lip trills. I do use lip trills for long trills in that register, but short trills are (for me) too much work and too much risk. Musically, I don't think that the trills need to be any faster than a lip trill, which means that for a trill that's only a beat or so long, you don't need more than a couple of alternations.
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Richard Sandals
NBO ~ HSSB ~ TNB

[vivace]

also remember that in baroque music, cadencial trills always start on the note above. So it would be E -- EDEDEDEDED -- C C
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"All music is folk music. I ain't never heard no horse sing no song." - Louis Armstrong

[mcamilleri]

Matt, I wondered if anyone was going to read closely enough to pick that up. Yes I know the proper trill style or Handel.

I only have Bb trumpets so have no choice. In New Zealand Bb trumpets are the norm for most amateur orchestras and other keys are rarely seen. Some professional orchestras use C trumpets as the main horn, and other keys as required. I suppose we are closer to Mother England then the US.

Sounding good is my main concern.

Thanks for your thoughtful and helpful replies.

Michael
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[Nonsense Eliminator]

Actually, one of the exceptions to the rule on cadential trills is when the trill is preceded by the upper note of the trill. In those cases, many authorities would argue that it is proper to begin the trill on the printed note. I personally prefer to start on the upper note anyway, but you can justify either way.
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Richard Sandals
NBO ~ HSSB ~ TNB

[mcamilleri]

Usually in this type of music the violins have played similar phrases a couple of hundred times before the trumpets get a chance to blow, and I just follow their lead. Lazy man's musicology.

Related post following on Finke natural trumpets...

Michael
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