Bass trumpet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The bass trumpet is a type of low trumpet which was first developed during the 1820s in Germany. It is usually pitched in 8' C or 9' B♭ today, but is sometimes built in E♭ and is treated as a transposing instrument sounding either an octave, a sixth or a ninth lower than written, depending on the pitch of the instrument. Although almost identical in length to the trombone, the bass trumpet possesses a tone which is harder, more metallic and brilliant than that of the trombone and is not to be confused with the valve trombone, which is a very different instrument.
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[edit] History
The earliest mention of the bass trumpet is in the 1821 Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, in which Heinrich Stölzel's Chromatische Tenor-trompetenbaß and Griesling & Schlott's Chromatische Trompetenbaß are described. Several other variants were produced through the 1820s and were employed in military bands, in which both wide bell versions in 9' B♭ are still used today in Austria and Bavaria under the name Baßtrompete and narrow bell versions in 9' B♭ in Italy under the name tromba bassa, though they are restricted to padding out the harmony and fulfil no melodic function.
[edit] Wagner's bass trumpet
Richard Wagner's first intention for Der Ring des Nibelungen was a bass trumpet in 13' E♭, clearly based on the instruments he would have come across during his dealings with military bands. However, while the opening section of Das Rheingold might indicate the use of such an instrument, the part quickly rises to G♭5, which would have been a nineteenth partial on the long instrument originally envisaged and no composer who understood brass instruments as well as Wagner could possibly have demanded.
While it was argued during the late nineteenth century (Oskar Franz: Zeitschrift für Instrumentenbau, 1884) that the instrument in question was actually pitched an octave higher, in the event the instrument actually built by Moritz of Berlin on Wagner's personal instruction for the Munich theatre (according to Zeitschrift für Instrumentenbau, 1908) was pitched in 8' C with crooks for B♭ and A and sounded one octave lower than written. Sadly, the records of Moritz were not preserved, though a wide bell bass trumpet of military band proportions in 8' C with B♭ and A crooks does make an appearance in their post-1900 catalogue, while Gebrüder Alexander of Mainz offered a narrow bore model in either E♭ or C.
A model of this type in 8' C with four rotary valves is that which is normally used today, played by a trombonist owing to the size of the mouthpiece, which is closer to that of the trombone and is wider than most trumpeters are prepared to work with. Bass trumpets built in E♭ are usually played by trumpeters as the mouthpiece is closer in size to that of the trumpet in B♭.
Wagner wrote quite adventurously for his new addition to the brass section, exploiting open and muted effects, extremes of range and dynamics and the bass trumpet is frequently featured in Der Ring des Nibelungen playing solos in every register, as well as in octaves, unison or harmony with the other trumpets, the trombones and the Wagner tubas. Its very distinctive timbre is easily identifiable and Wagner clearly relished the use of this new and unique tone colour.
Other composers have also taken Wagner's cue and used the bass trumpet in the orchestra and the opera house, including Richard Strauss (in the tone poem Macbeth and the opera Elektra), Arnold Schoenberg (in the cantata Gurrelieder), Igor Stravinsky (in the ballet Le sacre du printemps - fourth trumpet doubling bass trumpet in E♭), Leoš Janáček (in the Sinfonietta - two bass trumpets in B♭). However, as with the Wagner tuba and the contrabass trombone, Wagner's other additions to the opera house orchestra for Der Ring des Nibelungen, the bass trumpet has not proven to be a regular member of the orchestral brass and is seen on very rare occasions, on which an extra player is usually recruited to perform on an ad hoc basis.
[edit] Annotation
The bass trumpet is usually annotated in the treble clef. The bass trumpet in C sounds one octave lower than written, the bass trumpet in E♭ sounds a sixth lower than written and the bass trumpet in B♭ sounds a ninth lower than written. Wagner's transpositions include bass trumpet in E, E♭, D, C and B♭, though players often have parts for the bass trumpet transposed into C to facilitate performance on the C bass trumpet without the need for complicated transpositions.
[edit] Performers
Cy Touff was one of few jazz musicians to play the bass trumpet and while trombonists usually perform on the bass trumpet, British trumpeter Philip Jones performed on the bass trumpet while employed by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
The bass trumpet has even found its way into Latin music. Salsa musician and trombonist Willie Colon plays a Getzen Eterna bass trumpet and can be heard improvising on the Fania label recordings Maestra Vida part 1 La Fiesta, Siembra Buscando Guayaba, Cruz and Colon Zambullete, Doble Energia Cuando Tu Quieras and Canciones Del Solar De Los Aburridos Tiburon.
