| Description | This division of the Collection includes the brass instruments loosely described as cylindrical bore, and totals over 250 instruments plus a similar number of mouthpieces. The trumpets represent three centuries of development, and include examples of most of the principal types used in orchestras, military and dance bands. The earliest trumpets are the Haas (Nuremburg, c 1700) in F, three early to mid-18th century English trumpets, the Huschauer (Vienna, 1794) in D, and the pair by Bauer (Prague, 1818) in D. The brief phase of popularity of the keyed trumpet and the handstopped trumpet in the first half of the 19th century has given us several examples of the most important varieties. There are examples of the typical English slide trumpet of the 19th century, all equipped with crooks and treated here under their highest crooking, F. Their orchestral successors, the valve trumpets in G and F, which were rapidly overtaken by trumpets in high B-flat, are well represented and include examples with double-piston, Stölzel, Berlin, disk and Périnet valves. The bass trumpet has been made in various forms, many of which are present. The Collection also includes a representative set of ‘Kneller Hall’ fanfare trumpets (in 3¼-ft E-flat, 4½-ft B-flat, 9-ft B-flat and 11-ft G) formerly used by the Band of the Welsh Guards. The trombones represent four centuries of development, and include examples of most of the principal types and sizes (sopranos, altos, tenors, basses and contrabasses). The interesting varieties of valve trombone are represented by the model with six independent valves in B-flat, its seven-valved variant, the ‘système Eugène Detiège’ in B-flat + F (Le Brun), the ‘système Belge’ with double piston valves. The Collection also includes the three sizes of ‘Armeeposaunen’. An exhibition, Sackbut and Trombone, drawn almost entirely from the collection was mounted at the Reid Concert Hall in 2009. |
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