In radiant splendour and still without any valves
17.10.2025,
In Johann Sebastian Bach's time, the idea of keys and valves for brass instruments was still far removed. A trumpeter only had the natural tone series at his disposal and had to form the various notes with pressure and tension of the lips. This was particularly demanding in the high registers. These magnificent silver trumpets come from the Nuremberg workshop of Johann Wilhelm Haas.
In the Mannheim court orchestra under Elector Karl Theodor, the corresponding parts were played by the clarinets, which were modern at the time. Nevertheless, two years after his accession to the throne in 1744, Elector Karl Theodor not only had five new instruments made in Nuremberg for his trumpet corps, but also ordered seven more in 1775, when his court orchestra was the most prestigious in Europe.
Although the best of his trumpeters also played in the court orchestra, the main task of the upgraded trumpet corps was to lend the Elector's public appearances the highest representative splendour. Musically, some of Johann Sebastian Bach's trumpet parts are not so far removed from such "trumpet processions".
