Trumpet History

A 16th-century German trumpet

Depictions of the earliest trumpet date back to 1350 BC in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.  It started out without holes or keys, so it was more reliant on the harmonics than other instruments.  However, it began to change in the 16th century when its "S" shape became the renowned elongated spiral.  (It had "royal status" since it was used in the courts, and therefore received a lot of design attention.)

After a brief golden period during the mid-18th century, the music of the Baroque period began using the trumpet merely to add weight and emphasize the timpani's rhythms.  Towards the end of the century, the invention of keys allowed it to be played in keys other than the fundamental.  Valves also allowed trumpets to be played in different keys and helped the instrument regain momentum.  By the 1870s, the Bb trumpet had emerged as an alternative to the trumpet in F and was accepted as standard.  Its compass begins at e and ends at d'''.

The Bb trumpet's compass

Today, there are four types of trumpet: Bb, piccolo, Eb, and F.  I'll focus on the Bb trumpet, since it is standard, as well as the instrument I'll be learning.

My Bb trumpet