Paul Woodson (2)

INTRODUCTION

When we hear the word trumpet we often think of the modem western precision
instrument with polished valves and slides. This image represents only a small glimpse
of the vast array of instruments created in a long and rich history of development. All
trumpets at their basic level consist of a pipe, at one end of which is a mouthpiece shaped
so that the player can make an airtight seal when the lips are placed against it. The
column of air inside the tube is set into vibration when it is excited by the player buzzing
his lips placed against the mouthpiece. A sustained sound on a brass instrument requires
standing waves, which are sound waves traveling from one end of the pipe to the other
and being reflected back from each end like water waves in a bath. Whether the other end
of the pipe terminates abruptly, as a bugle does, or is in the shape of a flared bell, as in
the case of the trump.et, sound waves are reflected by the bell mouth. The shape of the
bell end of the instrument and the length of the tube will determine the quality and
intensity of the sound. In their 1914 'Classification of Musical Instruments', Erich von
Hornbostel and Curt Sachs applied the term 'trumpet' to any instrument in which the air
stream passes through the player's vibrating lips, so gaining intermittent access to the air
column which is made to vibrate. (Myers 1997) This paper will trace some of the major
developments in the history of the trumpet and will highlight the careers of a sampling of
composers of major works for the instrument.… (plus d'informations)