Quiz. What is the king of musical instruments? If you’re a real baroque fan, you’ll know right away. It’s a trumpet (but a natural trumpet). The “king of instruments” was neither the organ nor the piano, but the natural trumpet. At the time of the Baroque, the trumpeter was the highest paid member of the court orchestra. More than singers, more than concertmasters. In Germany, there was a system of apprenticeship called “Stadtpfeifer”, and they were supermen who could play trumpet, zink, and all sorts of wind and string instruments. Their skills were handed down from generation to generation. They were paid well to play at the city’s festive events. In the courts and churches, natural trumpet players also played a major role in the vocal and instrumental music of Bach, Telemann and Vivaldi. Up to the classical composer Johann Melchior Molter should be played on the natural trumpet. It was not until Joseph Haydn’s trumpet concertos that “keys (not valves)” were added to the instrument for the first time. After that, the flute, oboe and trumpet all started to evolve into machines instead of instruments. Needless to say, the “Industrial Revolution” was a driving force behind this. I would love to listen to music from before the Baroque era as much as possible on the natural trumpet. The master of the natural trumpet is Jean-Francois Madeuf. You may recognize him as the guy who plays the 2nd Brandenburg Concerto with La Petite Band. Anyway, he’s “cool”. I love the way he plays with his left hand on his hip, lifting the trumpet bell high with his right hand. I’m in love with him. Here are some of the records he has recorded. #baroque #naturaltrunpet #片山俊幸
