Natural trumpet "myth"

[Tpt_Guy]

[eb1ch]

they were larger than the modern Bb. they sounded very brilliant, and were probably very tough to play in the high register.

[Brian Moore]

[eb1ch]

[Brian Moore]

[Biber]

[johntpt]

I know this is going a little tangent from the thread's original topic, but there was an interesting ITG article written by Richard Birkmeyer about the use of F trumpets in the late 19th century. Although I don't have it in front of me, the idea was that even then, players were already doing what we do today - use whatever instrument was most comfortable for them regardless of which instrument the composer specified. Often F parts were played on Bb or even C trumpets. In fact I believe he found evidence that around the turn of the 20th century the Vienna Phil trumpeters often used piston C trumpets.

Mahler's trumpet scoring is sometimes illogical, even in the 5th Symphony. There's a passage in the 3rd movement where he asks for a switch between Bb and F trumpet in mid stream (I believe it's with two and a half beats rest when the tempo is a fast Scherzo in 1). This could only mean one of two things - either he expected two players to cover the part - possible, but in this case the passage in question is not that difficult or strenuous, or that he expected the player to transpose.

JU

[Biber]

Indeed, the Birkemeier articles are particularly good and interesting. That time in the evolution of trumpet usage is quite unclear and he does a wonderful job of sorting it all out.

B

[Brian Moore]

[2ManyTrumpets?]

I played a F alto trumpet belonging to the university some 20 years ago. My recollection is that to play it was like a half way house between a Bb and a natural trumpet. The tone was darker but brassier than my Bb (a Strad 72*). It was more difficult to play loud but sounded great in choral passage (e.g. Sibelius's 2nd Symphony). It was just as easy to get high notes, but harder to get the right ones.

I have a vague recollection of some comments in Forsyth's book on orchestration about the superority of the tone of the F.

I started a thread about current manufacturers some time ago. The only suggestion was Thein.

[Cornetto]

[trpt.hick]

I wish I knew HOW Bach encountered the F trumpet, but I wasn't there.

As for the natural F trumpet "dissappearing" between 1638 and 1710 (72 years), especially as a military instrument, I think it doubtful.

The argument that the Brandenburg was intended to be played on the natural trumpet in D has some logic, but I have never heard of other pieces or even movements where F major or F minor were written for the D trumpet. Can you site any? My guess is that the intonation would have been horrific, especially since so many different pitches are used so often.

I don't pretend to have all of the answers. But, we do have evidence that the natural trumpet in F was the most common key of trumpets in the early Baroque period. Tarr played the Bendinelli trumpet and concluded that it was in F, just as Bendinelli's book indicates.

Tarr is a close friend of mine. We have engaged in hundreds of conversations about historical trumpet matters. When Ed wrote the Bendinelli articles for Brass Bulletin magazine, he was Vice President of ITG. I was President. We were constantly in touch with each other, discussing what each other was up to.

The subject of the Brandenburg may never be clearly understood because the work was not performed until the 20th century. The commission from the Margrave of Brandenburg was an important one for Bach. He copied scores in his best hand, on the finest paper, and tied the scores with an expensive ribbon and bow. He presented the work to the Margrave in person. I don't think that Bach would have written the trumpet part carelessly. Just my opinion.

DH

[eb1ch]

[Cornetto]

[Biber]

I think that the issue really boils down to this: the second Brandenburg comes across an an anomaly, being that it scores for a trumpet in F (certainly a statistical rarity as baroque trumpet parts go) In order to explain it, the effort is usually to try put it into perspective by explaining it in terms of an adaptation of what was more common

i.e.,
1) Trumpet in F (modern)
2) trumpet in F, "baroque pitch" = E (modern)
3) Trumpet in F, 'French baroque pitch" = Eb (modern)
4) The corpus of many surviving natural trumpets is at or around Eb (modern), lacking tuning bits that lower the pitch
5) very few Baroque F trumpets are extant suggesting it was a rarity (a bold conclusion based on a lack of evidence)

See where this is heading? It's all going in the direction of lowering the pitch to what is more commonly represented in trumpet repertoire of the Baroque

Also, look at it from the perspective of woodwinds and strings. Each for the most part are C instruments (non transposing) tuned anywhere from 460+ - 390- (C#+ [usually not much higher if even that high for strings] - Bb- [though probably not much lower]) So where does that put the sounding pitch (key) of the piece? Key of F: @A=398- = Eb- / @A=460+ = F#+. What pitched (corpus) instrument would have to be used to play the trumpet part?

This is NOT to say that that is indeed an anomaly or rather somehow wrong. While a bit early with regard to the high tessitura clarino practice of the baroque it is more in keeping with the trumpet music written after it than before in this regard. Admittedly it is very difficult from our standpoint, though enough modern players have proven that it can be done at basically any of these pitches. I know I would prefer to play it at a lower pitch

Also think about it from a timbre / sonority stand point. (Piccolo trumpets ruin the whole picture in my opinion) The lower the pitch tends to take the edge off the trumpet part and it has a tendency to blend more with the other instruments, Though even at a higher pitch, usind a "period trumpet" the trumpet part is more a participant in the texture than does it dominate.

just some thoughts

B

[trpt.hick]

Bach did not write the work with a particular player in mind. This piece was written before he met Reiche, and it was not to be performed by Johann Schreiber in Coethen, either. The Margrave's orchestra did not perform any of the concertos because his orchestra was not good enough, presummably. The concertos were shelved in the Margrave's library for 100 years until they were discovered by a group of musicologists led by William Schumann that wanted to publish all of Bach's works.

As for the F trumpet being rarely written for in Bach's time, I must agree. But, similiar logic can be applied to Mahler's Third Symphony. The "posthorn in B-flat" is certainly not a common orchestral instrument. But, the instrument is and was played everywhere throughout Germany and Austria as a cornet in the beer bands. So, Mahler decided to write a solo for it! Perhaps in 300 years people on Trumpetherald will argue that the posthorn was a rare instrument because Mahler was the only composer to write it, and then only once. (?)

[_TrumpeT_]

[Biber]

[Scooter01]

An important clue which Professor Hickman touched upon is that this work was not performed in Bach's time. It was 100 years before it was discovered. We also know that many of Bach's works have been lost (some used to wrap sandwiches of some of the choir children). The Trumpet in F may have been a request in particular or a means to allow alternate instruments to perform the work. It was quite common to use whatever instruments were available to perform music during this time and substitutions were common. Since much of his work may have been lost to history, we cannot be certain that this is the only work he scored for trumpet in F. Others may have been lost. I would not be one to argue with musicologists who have spent years researching the subject to claim that they were wrong. The time for this argument was 100 years ago. Since then the music community has had ample time to correct any mistakes. But following in the baroque tradition, play it on a kazoo if you prefer.
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Those who say it cannot be done should stay out of the way of the people doing it.

[Bob Parks]

At the time of its composition and even today, very few musicians are capable enough to adequately perform the extremely demanding trumpet part in J.S. Bach’s Second Brandenburg Concerto. The part is demanding both because of the high tessitura and the physical endurance required to play in that range for a considerable amount of time. Indeed, playing the trumpet can cause the trumpeter to pay the ultimate price:

"On precisely this day the highly skilled and most artistic musician and Stadtpfeifer, Herr Gottfried Reiche, the Leucopetra-Misnicus and senior member of the municipal company of musicians in this place, suffered a stroke as he was going home and dropped dead in the Stadtpfeifer-Allee not far from his house where he was taken. The reason for this was on account of the enormous strain he suffered the night before while blowing for the royal music, his condition having been greatly aggravated from the smoke given off by the torch-lights (Utnes /Rieche)."

The instrument itself can also be a factor in the playability of the concertos. I will discuss the instruments used in performance of this work, performers, and the general interpretation of the concerto using selected recordings.

In 1721 the Brandenburg Concertos were dedicated to the Margrave of Brandenburg. The date of composition for each concerto cannot be precisely determined, however the Second Brandenburg Concerto was either composed in 1717 or 1718 “while Bach was Kappellmeister of Prince Anhalt-Kothen in the small village of Kothen.” (Bessler) All the concertos are in three movements as in the Italian style of Torelli, except the first and third concertos. The Six Brandenburg Concertos contrast a small group of solo players (called the concertino) with the larger body of players (called the ripieno), which has no solo functions. The concertino in the Second Brandenburg Concerto consists of trumpet, flute, violin, and oboe, and the ripieno employs only strings. The second concerto is scored for concertino, ripieno, and basso continuo.

There exists a great debate concerning the first trumpeter to perform this work. Many believe that Ludwig Schreiber, the court trumpeter for Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg, was likely the first to perform this work. We can infer this due to the fact that the Margrave of Brandenburg employed a small group of musicians and they were known for their excellent chamber music performance abilities. Each of the other Brandenburg Concertos highlighted these court musicians, according to Bessler. However many people believe that the demands placed on the trumpeter for this work could only be handled by Gottfried Reiche, Bach’s regular first trumpeter. Don Smithers writes:

“We may reasonably suppose that Reiche did, in fact, play the second Brandenburg concerto under Bach's direction with the collegium musicum at one or another of the venues where he is known to have performed with that ensemble. Moreover, it is not beyond the bounds of reason to suppose that Christoph Ruhe, Reiche's successor, may have played the same work with the same ensemble sometime after Reiche's death in October, 1734 (Smithers, 30)”

Not only does the debate surround the performers, but also the trumpet employed for performance before the advent of the modern piccolo trumpet. Werner Menke writes regarding Reiche and the instrument he would have likely used in performance of this work:

“The question why Bach made extraordinary demands on his trumpeters may be answered best by the ability of his players. Particularly outstanding among these was Gottfried Reiche…As is well known, that posthornlike wind-instrument, with five great curves and a round crook for insertion, with which Reiche appears in Haussmann’s picture [See Figure 1], provides a problem of instrumental lore capable of various solutions, for the instrument corresponds neither to the old, nor to our idea of ‘Trumpet’ or ‘Clarin [See Figure 2] (Menke 68-69).’ “

Menke further writes that this instrument depicted is in fact a trumpet, not a horn due to its cylindrical bore. Some have inferred from both Figure 1 and the difficulty of the trumpet part that since Reiche may have performed the Second Brandenburg Concerto on a horn-like instrument, the trumpet part in the key of F was in actuality intended to sound a perfect fifth below written pitch rather than a perfect fourth above which is the more accepted interpretation. This interpretation of the trumpet part has yielded a so-called “Leipzig Version” of the concerto in which the trumpet part is played on the instrument of the horn family called ‘Corno da Caccia,’ or ‘Jaegertrompete [See Figure 2].’ Ludwig Guttler, a trumpeter with the New Bach Collegium Musicum in Leipzig, has popularized this version in recent years. A further explanation controversy surrounding the painting of Reiche and his Jaegertrompete image follows:

“In 1727 Riche’s portrait was painted by the well-known Leipzig artist, Elias Gottlieb Haussmann. Presumably it was commissioned by the Leipzig town council for the purpose of publicly honoring Reiche on his sixtieth birthday…That Reiche, whose local reputation was that of a trumpeter, would have chosen to be depicted in a portrait holding a very un-trumpet-like trumpet (presumably the one he preferred and used regularly), has been a source of debate among both scholars and performers, and has given rise to a number of explanations as to why he may have preferred this form of trumpet…It is generally recognized the mutated forms of the trumpet were introduced by city pipers as an attempt to evade the Kameradschaft’s royally endorsed monopoly on trumpet playing. The idea behind this is that form took precedence over function – a trumpet that does not look like a trumpet is not a trumpet; therefore, one who is no under the aegis of the Kameradschaft could play such an instrument without violating its strict mandates; and even more importantly, without violating its strict mandates; and even more importantly, without incurring the zealous wrath of its members. However, the concerns of the Kameradschaft did not encompass merely the physical form of the trumpet; even the performance of another instrument in the manner of a trumpet was a source of indignation…It is not likely that Reiche used a coiled trumpet in order to avoid conflict with the Kameradschaft. His position as a church musician enabled him to enjoy a somewhat more tolerable relationship with the Kameradschaft, who took a slightly more lenient view of the use of trumpets by “non-priveleged” players within the context of church music…The most plausible explanation for Reiche’s apparent preference for a coiled trumpet, may lie with the instrument itself. He may have found…that a coiled trumpet produced the fullest and softest tone of all the forms of natural trumpets (Collins 12-13)”

Another alternate instrument to the trumpet used in performance of this piece is the clarinet (Christmann). After the decline of trumpet guilds in the early 1800’s clarino register playing became a very rare art. The music of the so-called High Baroque regularly required the notes between the 16th and 24th partials, whereas the clarino, or higher register, music of the 19th century rarely exceeded the 13th partial (Tarr). Because of the scarcity of clarino trumpeters the part would often be, and is still often today played on clarinet. Also in the clarinet family, the soprano saxophone has been used even in recordings of the work, not just small profile performances (Elste 78-82). The results simply do not accurately represent the unique sound color of the natural trumpet. About the use of alternate instruments Menke writes:

Moreover we are confronted with several debatable proposals…to give the parts to a clarinet, to have the parts plated an octave lower… it is still undeniable that he wrote them in the form we have them…If, for instance, we have the first trumpet part played an octave lower we shall be obliged to alter the other parts as well; but these cannot be transferred an octave down without wholesale modification of harmony and melody.

There are yet two more alternate solutions having varying degrees of success. The most common of which is to transpose the entire work down sometimes by as much as a minor third, placing it in the key of D. This practice is sometimes justified by the fact that brass instruments were not always in tune, and trumpets in F were quite exceptional even in Bach’s lifetime . Trumpets in D and C were far more common. The other solution is to have the part performed by two separate competent players who alternate in order to be able to perform the work without allowing fatigue to affect the quality of performance (Elste 242).

These solutions were all considered common before the invention of a piccolo trumpet which could be played easily and retain a quality of sound akin to the original natural trumpet. While higher pitched valve trumpets were already in existence the sound quality was difficult to produce and maintain especially in the highest registers of playing.

Today there exist many varieties of piccolo trumpet each of which can obtain a different sound color appropriate for the demands of the different ensembles performing the work. The trumpet used must accurately blend with the ensemble since the trumpet in this work is not a soloist in the sense of a 19th century orchestral soloist. However, the other instruments performing are also a source of consideration. If the string players are playing modern stringed instruments, and the other wind soloists are playing modern instruments, a modern trumpet is certainly not out of the question. The timbre of modern piccolo and soprano trumpets is certainly more direct and brilliant than its predecessor. Primarily this is because of the overall length of tubing and the thickness of the metal used in construction. Because the modern trumpet is valved, the overall length of the instrument can be considerably shorter which makes the partials further apart in the tessitura for the Second Brandenburg Concerto, and therefore also makes the response and intonation more accurate than the natural trumpet [See Figures 4 – 6].

Because of the difficulty of performing this particular work, performances are very scarce in the 1800’s – so scarce I was unable to secure any relevant trumpet perspective on the performances other than there were very few clarino trumpeters available. Elste makes reference to some 19th century performance practice, but a satisfactory translation could not be obtained for that portion of the book. By examining recordings from the last century an informative perspective on performance practice can be made.

The first recording to examine is the recording using original instruments with The English Concert conducted by Trevor Pinnock (track 1 on accompanying compact disc). The most striking feature is the warmth of the sound. This is likely due to the fact that orchestra has tuned to a lower pitch making the piece almost sound exactly in the key of E instead of the key of F. There are some reasons for this, not the least of which has to do with the trumpet. The moveable tuning slide for brass instruments was invented in the middle of the 19th century and therefore trumpets previously were almost completely fixed at pitch. When and if the trumpet’s pitch was changed it was done so by a manipulation of the lips, placing a hand in the bell, or changing crooks. The surviving instruments from Bach’s lifetime (1685-1750) are each a unique length of tubing resulting in instruments which are not in tune with the modern pitch standard (Menke, 107). Therefore, a historically informed performance today on original instruments will most likely occur at a different pitch level depending on the instruments used. Interesting also to note about this recording is the use of recorder instead of flute. The justification for this comes from the original notation. The flute part is originally notated in G-clef, the common practice notation indicating recorder instead of flute.

The next recording features L’Orchestre de chamber de l’Ecole Normale de Musique, Paris (track 2 on accompanying compact disc). While this was recorded originally for gramophone, the recording retains remarkable fidelity. The artistic luftpausa is unique in all the variations of phrasing I have encountered. In this recording it is very obvious how taxing and difficult the trumpet part is for this particular musician whose name I could not find. There are many instances the trumpeter has split attacks, overshot and undershot notes, poor response, and a brittle sound. In many places this trumpeter is forced to take sections of the music down an octave or rewrite the music to suit his physical limitations, for instance measures 36-37, and measures 75-81. After hearing this I more clearly understood the need for a better instrument, and the definite scarcity of competent trumpeters.

Bach never heard a soprano saxophone [See Figure 7], and probably never heard a clarinet. The clarinet was in its infancy at the end of Bach’s life, and the soprano saxophone was not widely used for well over a hundred years after Bach’s death. Simply because he had not heard these instruments is not in itself reason enough to dismiss them from use in his works. The reason to dismiss them as legitimate substitutes is they do not capture the sound quality of the natural trumpet and therefore cannot accurately fulfill the requirements of the trumpeter. In the recording featuring Marcel Mule [See Figure 8], soprano saxophone, the part is played with virtuosity and musical expression, yet the sound is nothing like a trumpet (track 3 on accompanying compact disc). The sound of the group is very homogenous, and at times it is impossible to tell the oboe, flute, and soprano saxophone apart. Bach very clearly intended what he wrote (Menke 13).

The fourth selection is Ludwig Guttler performing the “Leipzig version” of the third movement of the concerto (track 4 on accompanying compact disc). The reasons for playing the part down an octave cannot be justified as has already been stated, but the Corno da Caccia does blend with the other instruments quite well. It is important to note that this is a modern valved Corno da Caccia rather than the natural instrument depicted in figure 3. The interpretation includes a bit of uncharacteristic ornamentation. Guttler’s liberal use of trills and vibrato are most unusual. At times the loud dynamics are beyond the range of the natural horn. In addition, the articulation varies so much that it detracts from the musical line. There are various combinations of slurring and aggressive tonguing which are not idiomatic for baroque horn or trumpet, much less any other baroque instrument.

The final selected recording is one featuring Thomas Stevens, trumpet and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the direction of Pinchas Zuckerman. This recording uses all modern instruments, however it does not cause the music to suffer. Stevens performs on a Schilke piccolo trumpet [See Figure 6] which has a much more brilliant timbre since the bell is made of beryllium instead of regular brass alloy. Blending is difficult on a brilliant-sounding instrument when placed in combination with strings and reed instruments, however Stevens manages to blend. There are a few moments when each of the instruments of the concertino are required to rise out of the texture, and this performance captures that beautifully.

The frequency of performance of Bach’s Second Brandenburg concerto in the 20th Century on trumpet is due in part to the innovations of Adolf Scherbaum.

“Scherbaum was the first player who used the high B flat trumpet [See Figure 9] for music intended to be played on a D-type instrument…Together with his son he developed the ‘Scherbaum high B flat trumpet’ which features an exchangeable bell and a three-part mouth piece which enables his pupils to practice with a deeper bulb and then change to a more shallow one which allows them to reach the high tones virtually effortlessly (Bayer).

Scherbaum himself performed the Second Brandenburg concerto over 400 in his lifetime, greatly contributing to the general acceptance of the trumpet as a solo instrument. His presence in the musical world gave rise to Maurice Andre [See Figure 10], who has performed the Second Brandenburg concerto over 200 times, and has popularized the piccolo trumpet as a solo instrument. Scherbaum’s creation of a high trumpet in B-flat also made new repertoire accessible, and generated interest in making even better piccolo trumpets for the performance of baroque repertoire. In the 1960’s the Selmer Corporation in Paris created a new version of the piccolo trumpet. This trumpet does not require a special mouthpiece and has much better intonation than the predecessor created by Scherbaum. This trumpet is widely used today along with one made by the Schilke Company for performances of the Second Brandenburg Concerto. His presence in the musical world gave rise to Maurice Andre [See Figure 10], who has performed the Second Brandenburg concerto over 200 times, and has popularized the piccolo trumpet as a solo instrument.

Works Consulted

Bach, Johann Sebastian. “Brandenburgische Konzerte. Nr. 2 Zweites Brandenburgisches Konzert F-dur, BWV 1047.” herausgegeben von Heinrich Besseler. Kassel : Bärenreiter-Verlag, 1956.

Bayer, Josef. ‘His career” Consulted 4/14/05
http://www.asamnet.de/~bayerj/scherbe/career.htm

Christmann, Arthur Henry. “Clarinet talk.” The Clarinet, vol. 11 n.1, page 41 1983.

Collins, Timothy A. "Gottfried Reiche: A More Complete Biography." International Trumpet Guild Journal, Feb. 1991 (p. 5 – 17)

Elste, Martin. “Meilensteine der Bach- Interpretation 1750-2000: eine Werkgeschichte im Wandel.” Stuttgart: Barenreiter, 2000

Fasman, Mark J. “Brass bibliography: sources on the history, literature, pedagogy, performance, and acoustics of brass instruments” Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1990

Menke, Werner. “History of the trumpet of Bach and Handel.” Reprint of 1934 English translation by G. Abraham. Nashville: Brass Press, 1985

Smithers, Don. "Bach, Reiche and the Leipzig Collegia Musica." The Historic Brass Society Journal, vol. 2 (Fall 1990)

Tarr, Edward. “The Trumpet.“ Translated from the German by S.E. Plank and Edward Tarr. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press; London: Batsford, 1988.

Utnes, Ole J. “Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and Trumpet.” Consulted Online 3/28/05
http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/bach/
http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/bach/reiche
http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/bach/brandenburg
http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/bach/brandenburg/BWV1047.html
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