IN A BAROQUE MOOD

I have always liked the piccolo trumpet. I love that bright, brilliant, piercing sound. Some trumpeters say they do not like the instrument. I think it is because they simply have not mastered it. The piccolo trumpet is extremely difficult to play, or rather, to master. Most people think it is easier to play high notes since it is pitched an octave above a regular Bb trumpet. But the truth is, you can play no higher on a piccolo trumpet than you can on a regular Bb trumpet. The benefit of the piccolo trumpet is that the notes slot into their proper pitch better. That's all. Because of it's size, intonation (playing notes in tune and staying in tune) is a major problem. And good tone is an issue. It takes a lot of practice to obtain a decent tone and not sound like you are playing through a tin can. Because of all of these issues, I have fondly given the piccolo trumpet the pet name, "The Little Beast". You have to be like a trainer of a wild animal. If you don't control it, The Little Beast will definitely control you.

Baroque music. Probably my favorite among the classical music styles. And the piccolo trumpet and Baroque music go together very well. I have chosen for this collection tunes with which many people are familiar. Many will think of some of the songs as wedding music, but interestingly, they were not originally written for weddings! Just look at the titles. Do any of those titles make you think of a wedding? I don't think so.

I have played most all of these songs at one time or another at weddings and at special church services.

Trumpet Tune in D was written by Jeremiah Clarke in 1699 but unbelievably, up until the 1940's it was attributed to Henry Purcell. And even today many incorrectly state it was by Purcell. The Prince of Denmark's March, which is commonly referred to as the Trumpet Voluntary, was also written by Jeremiah Clarke in 1700 and get this, it was also for years attributed to Henry Purcell! Poor Jeremiah. Rondeau was written by Jean-Joseph Mouret in 1729. Many will recognize it as the theme to the television show Masterpiece Theatre. La Rejoissance was written by George Frideric Handel in 1749 and is part of The Royal Fireworks suite. Alla Hornpipe is another piece by George Frideric Handel in 1717 and is one of his most famous, as part of the Water Music suite. This suite was literally played on the water as King James rode a boat down the River Thames. In my version here, the 1st trumpet part is played on the piccolo trumpet and the 2nd trumpet part is played on the Symphonic C trumpet as that part really wasn't high enough to play on a piccolo trumpet. Air on the G String is by Johann Sebastian Bach, written in around 1730. It is played by strings, the lead on a violin, so to play this on a piccolo trumpet was challenging. I had to try to make the trumpet sing like a violin and stay in tune, with a steady air flow and volume throughout the length of the notes. (Remember how I said before how difficult intonation is on a piccolo trumpet.) And finally there is Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah by George Frideric Handel in 1741. To me this is one of the most spectacular pieces of music ever written. Even Handel himself had to think so. It is purported that upon completion, hearing him in tears, his aides rushed in and he stated, "I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God himself." And indeed this song brings me to tears and a lump in my throat each time I hear it. A greater song to the glory of God the Father, the Creator and heaven could not have been written. God must have been guiding Handel’s pen on the manuscript. There are three trumpet parts in this arrangement of mine. There are the 1st and 2nd trumpets. Then a third trumpet is used to play the soprano voice part. All trumpet parts were played on the Benge C trumpet. This is the only song in this collection where a piccolo trumpet was not used.