Mid-term Exam Brad

Churchwell

1. Briefly discuss the development of the following

instruments, include major innovations and individuals
important to their development:

Trumpet - Some of the earliest examples of the trumpet date

back to ancient Egypt, two of which were found in the tomb of
the Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Still functional, these trumpets were
just basic straight pipes with a small flared bell at the end.
Around the same time a horn called the Shofar, made from a
rams horn with various curvatures, was being used for Jewish
religious purposes. These are still used in synagogues today.
Both of these instruments were predecessors to the natural
trumpets that were perfected and used beginning around the
14th century during The Renaissance. These instruments
consisted of a single coiled tube without valves and were only
able to play notes from a single set of overtone series without
changing the crooks of the instrument. Changing crooks allowed
for playing in other keys each with their own sets of overtone
series. Performers on natural trumpets were quite limited in
their technique and musicality until the Baroque period in the
17th to 18th centuries when the Clarino, or upper, register was
developed and perfected by trumpeters such as Gottfried Reiche.
Due to the poor intonation of these early trumpets, reproductions
use vent holes in order to correct pitch. Going into the Classical
period, there were many attempts to develop a keyed trumpet,
which would allow the performer to play a full chromatic scale.
The keyed trumpet utilized drilled holes, or vent holes, in the
single length of coiled tubing, which were closed and opened by
the use of keys. The tone quality of the instrument was much
darker and diffuse than modern trumpets. German keyed
trumpets tended to be left handed as opposed to the right
handed Italian keyed trumpets. The keyed trumpet was first
largely developed and utilized by Austrian trumpeter Anton
Weidinger in around 1792. His instrument had 5 keys and could
be played chromatically. These innovations led to more virtuosic
compositions by composers such as Joseph Haydn and Johann
Hummel. By the early 19th century, German instrument maker
Heinrich Stolzel developed and patented a working piston valve,
known as the Stolzel Valve, which he applied to the horn to
create the Cornet. These instruments began to be used
alongside the natural trumpets in orchestras as well as a solo
instrument. The first great virtuoso of the Cornet was Joseph
 Jean-Baptiste Arban during the mid-19th century, who also wrote
a method on the instrument that is still largely used today. The
box valve created by Stolzel eventually led to the modern piston
valve created by French instrument maker Francois Perinet. This
valve was applied to the trumpet to form the modern trumpet.

Horn By the early 17th century, coiled metal horns were used
by hunting parties as signaling devices. These horns were
usually brass tubes with no valves, wound into a single hoop with
an open bell flare and an irremovable mouthpiece so that they
could be easily played on horseback. The first known examples
were made by German maker Starck, but the instruments were
mostly associated with France. The cor de chasse (French
hunting horn) or the corno da caccia (Italian for hunting horn)
was introduced into orchestras sometime during the late 17th
century. During the Baroque period composers began to write
more virtuosic horn parts in the clarino register, due to the lack
of valves. If a performer wished to play in more than one key, it
was necessary to change horns completely, however the
development of the crooked horn in the early 18th century
provided an alternative. Around the same time horn players
began to use a technique now know as hand horn technique in
which the right hand is manipulated inside the bell of the horn in
order to play tones other than those contained in the natural
harmonic series, thus filling in the gaps between the notes in the
harmonic series. The Bohemian virtuoso hornist in the court of
Dresden, Anton Hampel is generally credited with the
development of this technique. Hampel encouraged a Dresden
instrument maker, Johann Werner, to construct a horn with
detachable crooks for both the mouthpipe and the middle of the
horn giving birth to The Orchestra Horn, the first single horn with
a full range of transpositions. Although this was a huge
development, the performer still had to stop playing entirely in
order to change crooks for different keys. As a result, Omnitonic
horn designs began to appear around the early 19th century. The
idea behind this design is that a player could quickly change
between a built in series of crooks via a trigger or mechanism of
some sort while still using the hand horn technique. This design
was cumbersome and short-lived. Around the same time,
 Stolzels piston valve was applied to horn, allowing it to be
played chromatically and with a consistent tone. The Vienna
valve was introduced around 1823, which is based on the design
of the Stolzel valve but uses a double piston system in order to
prevent the potential problem of back pressure present in the
Stolzel valve. This design gained great popularity in Austria and
was used well into the 19th century and beyond. In the early 19th
century, a design for the rotary valve was introduced. This valve
allowed for a more constant bore and became standard by the
late 19th century. Single horns in either F or Bb were widely
produced at this time, but the double horn became the standard,
in which the performer can switch from F to Bb my means of a
fourth valve.

Trombone The trombone is a ca. 15th century development on

the trumpet and was known as the sackbut until the 18th-century.
Since its introduction as the sackbut the most notable changes
have been in overall size with the inner/outer slide remaining
basically the same. The modern trombone has a larger bore and
larger bell flare than the early sackbut. The exact origins of the
sackbut is unknown but thought to originate in northern France.
The earliest sackbuts were probably slide trumpets yielded from
the discovery of how to fold brass into a U shape and creating a
movable outer slide to place over an inner slide. Like the
modern trombone, the sackbut was mainly a tenor instrument,
and by the early 17th century there was an alto, a bass and a
contrabass version. These early instruments were known to have
been used to accompany church music, and to have played parts
in bands, though parts for these instruments were rarely scored.
The evidence suggests that the players of these instruments
read from parts that, though not written specifically for these
instruments (or any other), were nevertheless intended to be
part of the performance practice of the day. The trombone was
added to the orchestra starting in around the 18th century, but
was used mainly as vocal support for music of the church. The
most well known example of this would be in W.A. Mozarts
Requiem. This piece utilizes alto, tenor and bass trombones.
There were also concertos written for the alto trombone around
the late Baroque early Classical Era by composers such as
Leopold Mozart, Georg Wagenseil, and J. G. Albrechtsberger. By
the mid-19th century, bell-size became wider as a larger, louder
 sound was desired, for performance in bands, and to generate
greater volume in orchestras which were continually increasing in
size. Composers like Berlioz and Wagner relied heavily on
trombones for more volume and colour in their compositions.
Beethoven is credited with being the first composer to use the
trombone in the Symphony Orchestra (in his fifth symphony).
With the invention of the rotary valve came trombones that could
transpose up a fifth to facilitate lower registers. Trombones with
three piston valves were also briefly used. Virtuosos such as
Arthur Pryor and Christian Lindberg have contributed greatly to
the solo repertoire of the instrument by composing and
commissioning pieces.

Tuba The earliest version of the Tuba was called The Serpent,
invented in France by Edme Guillaume ca 1590. The instrument
was originally made from wood, covered with leather, coiled back
and forth like a snake and played using six holes and a
mouthpiece made from various materials such as wood, bone,
ivory, or brass. The Serpent was used as early as the 12th
century to accompany Gregorian plain chant and is still played
today. The largest version of this instrument is the contrabass
Anaconda, produced in the 19th century. The next precursor to
the modern tuba is an instrument produced in Dublin, Ireland in
1821 by Joseph Halliday. The Ophicleide is a long brass
instrument which uses keys and pads like a saxophone and is
played standing upright like a bassoon. It is played by means of
a trombone mouthpiece and has a conical bore with holes that
are covered and uncovered to change pitch. These designs are
similar to Hallidays earlier keyed bugle and Weidingers keyed
trumpet. It is worth mentioning that the name comes from the
Greek words ophis and kleis which mean serpent and
stopper respectively. The Tuba as we know it today was first
patented in 1835 by German instrument-builder Johann Gottfried
Moritz and Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht. Their instrument was
pitched in F and used five Berlin piston valves which are the
forerunners of the modern piston valve. The first tenor tuba was
invented by Carl Moritz, son of Johann Moritz, in 1838. The
invention of valves around this time allowed for this instrument
to play low and chromatically and maintain a pure tone on each
pitch. The Tuba is made from brass or nickel, has a very wide
conical bore, and uses a deep cup mouthpiece. It is played
upright and may have a front facing or upright bell. These
instruments come in a variety of keys: BB flat, CC, E flat, F, and
GG, however all read in concert pitch. The final step in
developing the tuba as we know it today was the invention of the
compensating valve system by D.J. Blaiely in 1878. This system
 is designed to extend the range of the instrument while
stabilizing the pedal, or fundamental pitches. This system
utilizes extra lengths of pipe which are engaged when two or
more pistons are being used at once in order to correct
intonation issues causes by inconsistencies of the valve system.
The compensating tuba is now commonplace and utilize both
piston and rotary valves. It is also worth mentioning that by
1843 Adolphe Sax had begun manufacturing tubas in the style of
the Wieprecht-Moritz tubas in Paris. His Eb bass Saxhorn has a
narrower bore and smaller bell than the tuba. An instrument that
has a similar profile to that of the bass Saxhorn is the Wagner
Tuba, which was invented by Richard Wagner in 1853. It is best
described as being a mediator between the tenor tuba, or
trombone, and the horn. In fact this was the purpose that
Wagner intended it to fill. It is most often played by horn players
with smaller mouthpieces.

2. Give a brief description of each of the following:

Performance Practice This is a term used to refer to

techniques which are/were used in a specific musical era or
genre. These practices are usually implied and not notated
based on the style and era for which the piece is written.
Wagner Tuba This instrument was invented by Richard
Wagner in 1853. This conical instrument has a profile similar to
that of a bass saxhorn or tenor tuba and was conceived by
Wagner in order to bridge the gap between the Horns and the
Trombones. It was produced by C.W. Moritz in Berlin based on
the profile of a saxhorn and is played using a horn mouthpiece.
Treatise a theoretical or practical text dealing formally and
systematically with a specific subject such as detailed
explanations on how to play an instrument or write harmony.
E.g. Berliozs Treastise on Instrumentation and Orchestration
Baroque ornamentation a performance practice from the
Baroque period in which performers decorated melody with
improvised ornaments.
Florentine Camerata a group founded in 1573 in Florence,
Italy which gathered together to discuss and develop trends in
the arts, especially music and drama, and sought to bring back
Greek dramatic style, which led to the development of the
recitative style and eventually opera.
Cornetto the cornetto, cornett, or zink is a wind instrument
that dates from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods.
It is made from a long wooden pipe and is played by means of a
wooden acorn mouthpiece and holes drilled into the bore.
 Serpent - invented in France by Edme Guillaume ca 1590. This
instrument was originally made from wood, covered with leather,
coiled back and forth like a snake and played using six holes and
a mouthpiece made from various materials such as wood, bone,
ivory, or brass. The Serpent was used as early as the 12th
century to accompany Gregorian plain chant and is still played
today. The largest version of this instrument is the contrabass
Anaconda, produced in the 19th century.
Sackbut the precursor to the Trombone, used beginning
around the 15th century and continuing through the Baroque era.
This instrument is characterized by a telescopic slide used to
change the length of tubing in order to facilitate playing pitches
chromatically throughout the harmonic series.
Overtone series and how it applies to music of the
Baroque Before the invention of valves, trumpet and horn
players could only play using the notes available in one set of
harmonic or overtone series at a time without stopping and
changing crooks. In order to play more florid melodies, the
performer had to play in the extreme upper register in order to
access diatonic sets of pitches. As a result much music for the
natural trumpet and horn was written in the Clarino, or high,
register during the Baroque era.

1300-1600 The Renaissance

1440 Invention of the Printing Press

1600-1750 Baroque Period

 b. 1667 Gottfried Reiche
o Best known as Johann Sebastian Bachs chief trumpeter at
Leipzig. Bach wrote some of the most florid and difficult
trumpet parts for him to take advantage of Reiches
mastery of the clarino register.

b. 1685 Johann Sebastian Bach

o Prolific German composer of the Baroque period. His
compositions defined the style of the period. Wrote much
music for the clarino register. Brandenburg Concertos
contributed greatly to wind rep.

b. 1719 Leopold Mozart

o Father of W. A. Mozart. Wrote recently discovered concerto
for alto trombone.

b. 1732 Franz Joseph Haydn

o Prolific Austrian composer during the Classical period.
Known as father of the symphony. Wrote first concerto for
keyed trumpet for Weidinger.

1750-1820 Classical Era

b. 1756 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

o Austrian composer in the Classical era. Wrote four horn
concertos that are important to horn repertoire.

1760-1840 Industrial Revolution

1765-1783 American Revolution

b. 1766 Anton Weidinger

o Austrian trumpet virtuoso in the classical era. Developed
and performed extensively on the keyed trumpet.

1799-1815 Napoleanic Era

1800-1850 Romantic Period

b. 1803 Hector Berlioz

o French composer during the Romantic period. Increased
the size of the symphony orchestra and his Treatise on
Instrumentation contributed greatly to shaping the modern
 symphony orchestra. Utilized Ophicleide and serpent in
music.

b. 1833 Johannes Brahms

o German composer and pianist. Furthers the use of the
trombone in the orchestra in the 4th movement of
symphonies. Wrote beautiful chorales for brass sections.
Defines the Romantic period.

b. 1860 Gustav Mahler

o Austrian composer and conductor in the late-Romantic
period. His compositions served as a bridge between the
musical traditions of the Romantic period and the
modernism of 20th century music. Utilized horns, trumpets
and trombones to greater effect.

1861-1865 The American Civil War

b. 1864 Richard Strauss

o Leading German composer of the late Romantic and early
modern eras. Tone poems greatly changed use of brass
instruments in orchestra. Wrote very difficult parts for all
instruments. Horn concerto is now standard. Horn calls in
tone poems standard repertoire for horns.

b. 1867 Herbert L. Clarke

o American cornet virtuoso, bandmaster and composer.
Composed much of the standard repertoire for cornet and
trumpet.

b. 1869 Arthur Pryor

o Trombone virtuoso, bandleader, and soloist with the Sousa
Band. Prolific composer of band music and trombone solo
music. Performed and recorded much of the repertoire he
wrote for the trombone.

1877 Invention of the Phonograph

b. 1882 Igor Stravinsky

o Russian born composer, pianist, and conductor.
Contributed greatly to brass repertoire by expanding
technique. Expanded size of orchestra in Rite of Spring.
Utilized the bass trumpet. Music is standard repertoire for
brass players.
 b. 1895 Paul Hindemith
o Prolific German composer and conductor during the 20th
century. Wrote important works for brass such as
Symphonic Metamorphasis, Mathis der Maler and
Konzertmusic for Strings and Brass. Wrote sonatas for
nearly every instrument of the orchestra.

b. 1906 Dmitri Shostakovich

o Russian composer and considered one of the greatest
composers of the 20th century. Heavily influenced by late
romanticism of Mahler and neo-classicism of Stravinsky.
Expanded technique of brass instruments in the orchestra
through symphonies. Expanded the size of the orchestra
to gigantic proportions in Symphony No. 7. Twice as many
brass players.

1914-1918 World War I

1917 Bolshevik Revolution

b. 1921 Dennis Brain

o British horn virtuoso who produced the definitive
recordings of the Mozart horn concerti. Considered to be
one of the greatest horn players in history.

1939-1945 World War II

1990 Golden Age of Brass

o Refers to 20th century as being the Golden Age for brass
instruments. Most compositions for trumpet and trombone
written during this time. Title of three volume collection
recorded by David Hickman and Mark Lawrence that covers
some of the most significant music for brass instruments
ever composed.

1991 Fall of the Soviet Union