Historical instruments

Part 1

Did Bach write the "corne da caccia" part in the B minor Mass for Gottfried Reiche?

By Peter Damm

Part 3

Did Bach write the "corne da caccia" part in the B minor Mass for Gottfried Reiche?

By Peter Damm

Special Hungary

The Trumpets in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest

Four little-known trumpets in Budapest open a window onto Viennese makers, historical construction, pitch and the fragile survival of museum instruments.

By Leo Kappel

The inner acoustics of the horn

Study of the horn’s inner acoustics, explaining how its structure and air column influence tone production and intonation.

By Willi Aebi

The trumpet in the north German postal service of the 19th century

For forty years, northern German postilions exchanged the familiar post-horn for trumpets, turning postal signals into an unexpected echo of military practice.

By Albert Hiller

The Unusual Trumpet in the Nürnberg Transport Museum

A mysterious three-coil trumpet in Nuremberg defies familiar instrument types, with no maker, date or clear explanation of how it entered a postal collection.

By Albert Hiller

The Trumpet in the Works of Jean-Philippe Rameau

From court entertainments to operatic dances, Rameau’s trumpet writing reveals uncommon technical demands and a broader palette of Baroque brass practice.

By Albert Hiller

The Horn in France

Historical overview of the horn in France by Daniel Bourgue, covering instruments, makers, pedagogy and the evolution of tone and playing style.

By Daniel Bourgue

Part 2

Did Bach write the "corne da caccia" part in the B minor Mass for Gottfried Reiche?

By Peter Damm

Russian music and musicians before 1700

with special regard to Brass Music

Overview of Russian music and musicians before 1700, exploring early traditions, influences and the role of brass instruments.

By Walter Salmen

My collection of historical brass instruments and drums

Presentation of a private collection of historical brass instruments and drums, offering insights into their construction, variety and historical context.

By Wilhelm Bernoulli

Which Horn for which Music?

Article discussing the choice of horn according to repertoire, comparing instruments, sound ideals and stylistic requirements.

By Hermann Baumann

On the Crumhorn

From Pierre Trichet’s Traité des Instruments de Musique (c. 1640)

A seventeenth-century crumhorn leads from Roman lituus and alpine horns to reeds, finger holes and keys, exposing an unexpected family of curved instruments.

By Pierre Trichet

The Streitwieser Foundation Historic Trumpet Museum

A private collection built through one musician's lifelong search became an unexpected center for brass history, where every instrument carries a story beyond its display.

By Sue Scott

The Euphonium in America

A Short History

Euphonium terminology, bore sizes, and band instrumentation shifted across Europe and America, from Sax and Conn to Gilmore, Sousa, and Fennell.

By Robert Reifsnyder

The posthorn of the 19th-century Royal Post Office in the service of folk music

Once a tool of postal signalling, the posthorn became part of Bavaria’s popular musical life, caught between official regulation, practical invention and folk tradition.

By Albert Hiller

Special Hungary

The most beautiful instruments of the National and Military Museums

Budapest’s museum collections bring together Roman and Baroque trumpets, ceremonial instruments and military imagery, preserving sounds and symbols across centuries.

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

The Coiled Hunting Instrument by J. W. Haas

Bad Säckingen Trumpet Museum

A rare instrument made in 1688 blurs the boundary between horn and trumpet, while its maker’s mark raises an unresolved question about the Haas family.

By Edward H. Tarr

Unknown Treasures for Trumpet Ensembles

Processional Music from 18th century Bavaria

Forgotten Bavarian monastery archives preserve hundreds of ceremonial trumpet works, where local tradition and practical performance survived long after their cultural world disappeared.

By Albert Hiller

The tuba, Benjamin of the brass family

Where does the tuba come from? From serpent to ophicleide to saxhorns, this article traces a lesser-known path to the modern instrument.

By Emilie Mende

The trombone in Belgium

Published in memory of its author, this article reflects on the trombone tradition in Belgium and his lasting contribution.

By Albert Mertens

Round the Horn

Hamburg 1982

A 1982 Hamburg exhibition brought 150 horns out of collections and into players’ hands, collapsing centuries of hunting, signalling and concert traditions into one room.

By Michael Höltzel

The Midwinter Horn

De Midwinterhoorn

A Christmas horn tradition from eastern Netherlands preserves ancient construction, ritual and performance, linking rural practice with Leopold Mozart's Sinfonia pastorella.

By Herman Jeurissen

Some observation prompted by H. Baumann: Which Horn for which Music

Commentary responding to H. Baumann’s article (BB 3), offering critical observations and contributing to the ongoing debate on horn playing.

By Harold Meek