A REAL TRUMPET
SIR,—Your correspondent G. H. Wilbraham is right in saying that the musical public is being cheated " by the use of the deformed cornet " by which 1 understand he means the B flat trumpet, which is used, not only by ' dance-noise addicts' but by orchestral players as well. He speaks of " mauling the, noble passages written by composers of long ago for an instrument which in these days takes too long and too much trouble to master." I agree about mauling noble passages but not about the instrument.
As an imperfect amateur trumpet player I can assure him that the long D trumpet is no harder to play than a B flat, and at times is much easier. When I began to learn the trumpet I was told of all the difficulties of the D trumpet, and warned not to touch it, but as I wanted a D I got one, and soon found that all this stuff about a difficult instrument is just so much talk.
I defy any trumpet player to play the first trumpet part of the B minor Mass on a B flat, unless he produces just a squeak. He cer- tainly could not get the noble brilliant tone which is clearly called for.
Purcell, Bach, Handel, Haydn and Mozart did happen to know something about trum- pets, and used them when they wanted flash and brilliance, and I have long been puzzled to know why there is such a common use in orchestras of 'deformed cornets' quite unable to produce what is required.
I have seen two players use B flats for the whole of the Messiah, except for ' The Trum- pet shall sound,' when the first ostentatiously flourished a long D, with a Now you watch me' air.
It is a pity conductors do not insist on the proper trumpets being used, so that the musical public could hear Bach, Handel and others played much nearer to the composers'
' intentions than they hear them now.
The only composer we have now who seems to know, or care, about trumpets is Dr. Vaughan Williams, with his magnificent All available trumpets' for the Old Hundredth at the Coronation. He might do something about proper trumpets, for, as the Man- chester schoolgirl said after hearing one of his works, " He seems a. very promising composer."—Yours faithfully,
J. BEAUMONT PERCIVAL
50 Grosvenor Road, Birkdale, Southport
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