Natural Trumpet

The natural trumpet is the predecessor of the modern trumpet, although it has some peculiarities. The term “natural” applies because the instrument consists only of a coiled tube that makes a turn and ends in a bell, with no other mechanism to create notes other than the natural harmonics series. The natural trumpet derives from the ancient añafiles (straight trumpets), medieval and older instruments, which began to coil around the 15th century, though its most notable evolution took place from the 18th century onward.

“A known instrument, a warlike one made of metal, and because it is coiled it was called so, from the French verb tromper, which means to twist something. Trumpet, the same as the one who plays it.” Sebastián de Covarrubias, Tesoro de la Lengua Española o Castellana (1611)

The trumpet had a prominent role in the medieval heraldic environment, which carried over into the Renaissance and, to some extent, has lasted until today. For example, in the 16th century, there existed the independent organization of trumpets and kettledrums, which contributed to enhancing both civil and royal activities, outside the church. For this reason, very little music has been preserved for these ensembles, which generally played improvised calls based on certain foundations of which some treatises remain. The most important of these is by Girolamo Fantini: Modo per imparare a sonare di Tromba (1638), a very interesting method for understanding the techniques of the natural trumpet.

Today, we have a natural trumpet that is a copy of the specimen found near Rostock (Germany) in 2005 (photograph). It is the Birckholtz trumpet, named after a 17th-century builder active in Nuremberg: Wolff Birckholtz. This trumpet has the date 1650 inscribed on its bell, making it a reliable landmark for the year of its construction and has been reconstructed using historical techniques.

Manufacturers and instruments

1. Michael Münkwitz
   • Natural trumpet based on the instrument by Wolff Birckholtz (1650) 440 Hz and 415 Hz, Rostock (Germany) ***** 2008