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@@jomarluke great question! Tchaikovsky 4 would have been written for low F trumpet which is why we transpose up, though I don’t know if it was actually played on those instruments when it premiered. I was playing the 2nd trumpet part which is an octave below the 1st (and MUCH easier to play). Sometimes composers after 1900 would write for Eb or F so the notes were in an easily readable range, knowing that the musicians would likely transpose. Between 1800-1900 the trend was to use larger trumpets between D-F (coming from the orchestral baroque trumpets). But as we transitioned into the 20th century, composers wrote more difficult music, and the halls got larger players started trending towards the soprano B-flat and C trumpets we see today. Some composers kept the tradition of writing for the lower trumpets for awhile. There are many pieces written for low trumpets but written an octave lower than actually played relative to the instrument. If you look at Beethoven No. 5 it’s written for C trumpet, but the trumpets it was written for would have been double the length of a modern C trumpet. The written C5 in the staff sounds at that pitch, but relative to the instrument it would have been played an octave higher than written (played C6 on the horn, but sounding a C5). Mahler Symphony No. 1 was written for low F trumpets, but the pitches are written an octave lower (C#5, or concert F#) than they sound on the instrument (C#6) which is why we transpose up. There may be another excerpt in here I might have played in the wrong octave, but I’ve learned a lot about these instruments since this was posted. I’d love to make a follow-up some day or record more rep on the instrument, but I’ve been too busy to put something together. Thanks for your question!

Project Ivy, Streetlight Manifesto, Common Rider

So glad I'm not the only one ❤

​@@VolcanixAquatixidk what it is but I like the sound to!

No problem! I only had this horn for a week when this video was posted. Since then I use it regularly and I’m fairly comfortable with it. The horn is also VERY old, so it’s got some quirks a modern instrument wouldn’t have. I’ve settled on a mouthpiece now that works much better. I have several gigs over the next couple of months using this horn, so I’d say it’s pretty reliable now that I’m used to it. In the late 19th century, these horns were commonly pitched between low D to F, so yes around a major sixth lower than soprano B-flat. It goes down to a low A2 (concert). Some of these horns were built to better utilize the upper register (think Mahler), before orchestras shifted to soprano A, B-flat, and C horns.

@@AlecBurkeMusic Thanks so much for the detailed response!

Actually, I have a recent Short with this horn of you want to check that out. It’s the Laufey cover.

@@AlecBurkeMusic I will. Cheers.

It might have been built to a higher tuning standard than A=440! Beethoven had a tuning fork pitched at 455, and some 19th and early 20th century orchestras were tuning as high as 460 (some as low as 400, but the trend was mostly upward). That being said, it can be hard to find info on these horns sometimes. A lot of them were made by independent makers or specialty boutiques, not the large corporations we see today (i.e. Bach, Yamaha, Schilke, etc.). Especially for horns made in Germany, the Czech Republic, or Russia, there can be lots of missing or nonexistent documentation. I’ve had luck with a Denis Wick 2 with a cornet to trumpet adapter. It definitely helped even out the intonation throughout the harmonic series. More focused than an alto horn mouthpiece, and less edgy than a modern trumpet mouthpiece.

@AlecBurkeMusic thank you! I just tuned it to A=460 and it seems to fit

I’m happy you found one! I’ve found the piston horns to be a little less reliable than the rotary horns. I’m sure there’s some sort of design reason for this. I’ve also found that alto trumpets are extremely responsive to mouthpiece choice. I’m curious where you got the horn or who made it. Some of these instruments made in the late 19th century are designed in a way that works much better in the lower register, whereas ones made after the turn of the 20th century are built more for the upper register due to the demands of orchestral music and military bands at the time. Some piston alto trumpets are really just glorified marching bugles (namely the Getzen frumpet and low F trumpets and other American makers, followed by some Chinese replicas that came later from Schiller, Jinyin, Jin Bao, etc). It could just be the way your horn is designed. I’ve found the German approach to designing B-flat/C rotary trumpets as applied to low alto/bass trumpets results in a much more even scale - perhaps where braces are placed and how the leadpipe enters the valve block. I’ve been busy with gigs and auditions lately, so RUclips has been on the back burner. I’m working on a follow up video in what free time I have. I’m happy to continue answering some of your questions in the meantime when I can!

I am! I use it quite a bit for chamber music and recording, but have only had the opportunity to use it once in an orchestral setting. I’ve been swamped with gigs and auditions, and with my normal teaching commitments it’s been difficult to make much content for RUclips. I’m working on a follow up video though! I had issues using an alto horn mouthpiece and ended up using something else. Check out German pieces like Josef Klier or Breslmair. I think the shank taper and shape of the cup / backbore help even out the overtones and produce a more even scale. You can also try a deep British or European cornet mouthpiece with a cornet to trumpet adapter.

I’ve done some experimenting since this video and landed on something that’s been more consistent for me! I’ve enjoyed learning and getting used to this instrument. It’s not easy to source these instruments. You can custom order them from Thein (Bremen, near Germany) and Egger (Swiss), but they’re extremely expensive. If you’re looking in the states, your best bet is eBay and smaller brass resellers. If you have more questions I would be happy to do a follow-up video!

@@AlecBurkeMusic I'd certainly be interested in hearing more of the horn.