Trombe e Timpani (Trumpets and Timpani)

Historically, the trumpet originated as a means of producing audible signals over long distances for religious and military purposes. The entire history of its evolution is marked by a unique intertwining of technology, research, musical aesthetics, society, and culture.

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Between the 15th and 16th centuries, the role of the trumpet was firmly established and confined to the military context, with blasts and calls passed down mainly from "trumpeter to trumpeter" within specific municipal entities that survived until the dawn of the Enlightenment. Due to the associations with warfare and its specific sound, the trumpet remained completely excluded from sacred music and, consequently, from the 'cultured' music of great Renaissance composers.

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It is likely, however, that trumpeters already gathered in "consorts" to perform ceremonial multipart music, although we have no written evidence of such music for several trumpets until the late 16th century.

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As the 17th century approached, the structure of these sonatas for an enseble of trumpets started to become so complex and comprehensive that it could no longer be easily memorized. It was this natural impulse to become more efficient that led trumpeters to put their sonatas for several trumpets in writing, creating a new musical genre that marked the trumpet's entry into the realm of 'cultured' music.