Edward H. Tarr

Edward H. Tarr (1936–2020) was an American trumpeter, musicologist, teacher and editor who played a pioneering role in the rediscovery of the trumpet’s historical repertoire and performance traditions. Combining the careers of performer and scholar, he became one of the most influential figures in the revival of the natural and Baroque trumpet during the second half of the twentieth century.

Born in Norwich, Connecticut, Tarr studied trumpet in the United States with two of the leading orchestral players of his generation, Roger Voisin of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Adolph Herseth of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. An early interest in neglected trumpet repertoire increasingly led him toward historical research, and after moving to Europe he studied musicology in Basel with Leo Schrade. Europe would remain the centre of his professional life.

As a performer, Tarr moved freely between historical and modern instruments and between early music and contemporary repertoire. His work helped demonstrate that the rediscovery of older instruments could go hand in hand with modern virtuosity and serious musicological investigation. He performed internationally, made an extensive body of recordings and collaborated with composers of his own time. Mauricio Kagel wrote works for him, while Tarr also performed music by composers including Luciano Berio and Karlheinz Stockhausen.

The Edward Tarr Brass Ensemble further embodied this broad musical outlook. Using both historical and modern instruments, the ensemble explored Renaissance and Baroque repertoire alongside contemporary music, helping to bring previously neglected brass literature to new audiences.

Tarr’s influence was equally important as a researcher and editor. His studies of trumpet history, historical playing techniques and repertoire resulted in numerous articles, scholarly editions and publications. He prepared modern editions of important trumpet works, including the complete trumpet music of Giuseppe Torelli, and his book Die Trompete — subsequently published in English as The Trumpet — became a fundamental reference for the history of the instrument. His research extended well beyond the familiar Western European tradition, notably through his extensive work on the history of trumpet playing in Russia.

Teaching formed another major part of Tarr’s career. For many years he taught historical trumpet and cornetto at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis while also teaching modern trumpet at the Basel Conservatory. Through this combination, Basel became an important centre for the study of both historical and modern trumpet playing. He also taught at other European institutions and gave masterclasses internationally. Among the musicians who studied with him were Reinhold Friedrich and Håkan Hardenberger.

His interest in historical instruments was practical as well as scholarly. Tarr worked with instrument makers on the reconstruction and development of historical trumpets, helping performers gain access to instruments appropriate to the repertoire he was researching. As director of the Trumpet Museum in Bad Säckingen, he was also closely involved in preserving and presenting the material history of the instrument.

Over the course of his career, Tarr assembled an exceptional collection of original trumpet literature. The collection, later acquired by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, reflected the extraordinary breadth of his research and his lifelong effort to recover, document and make accessible the trumpet’s musical heritage.

Edward H. Tarr’s importance lies in the unusual completeness of that work. Performer, researcher, editor, teacher and advocate for historical instruments were not separate roles for him, but different aspects of the same enquiry into the trumpet and its past. Through his recordings, editions, books, teaching and research, he helped reconnect modern trumpet players with several centuries of their instrument’s history.