Reprints from the

International Trumpet Guild Journal

Edward H. Tarr Haydns Trumpet Concerto (1796-1996) and its
Origins (Sep96)

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 Haydns Trumpet Concerto (1796-1996)
and its Origins
EDWARD H. TARR
T
his year Joseph Haydns trumpet concerto,
arguably the most important work in our rep-
ertoire, will be 200 years old. This important
anniversary calls for both celebration and reflection.
The Concertos Modern Popularity
Unlike many works, fashionable in their time but
which fall quickly from favor, the Haydn concerto still
retains a youthful freshness even today. It is the
composers most popular instrumental concerto.
The first performer in modern times
was apparently the Brussels professor,
Alphonse Goeyens; it is known that
his pupils performed the work
around 1907.1 It is not known
whether Paul Handke, a Viennese
trumpeter who had made a
manuscript copy of the concerto
in 1899 before emigrating to the
United States, actually per-
formed the work himelf.2 The
first recording (2nd and 3rd
movements only) on 78 rpm
records was made by George
Eksdale in 1938-39, the first com-
plete recording on 78s was done
after World War II by Harry
Mortimer, and the first long-play-
ing recording, which immediately be-
came a best-seller, was made by Helmut
Wobisch in 1950. By 1982 there were over
20 recorded versions on LP records.3 The
first performer in modern times to play the Franz Joseph Haydn
work on a keyed trumpet was ke st (on March 24,
1973, in Motala, Sweden),4 and at the time of this
writing there were already three CD recordings fea-
turing the original instrument, by Friedemann Immer
(Decca), Mark Bennett (Archiv), and Reinhold
Friedrich (Capriccio), not to mention countless oth-
ers on modern trumpets.
The concerto has become somewhat of a standard
in orchestral auditions, especially in Germany, where
it is virtually de rigeur on the rotary-valved B-flat
trumpet. The difference between solo and orchestral
playing has now led to two basically different ap-
proaches to the work, and students playing auditions
30 ITG Journal / September, 1996
are sometimes confused as to how they should treat
it. (The best piece of advice anyone can give: be con-
vincing!) This, however, is not the subject of our
small article.
Origin: Anton Weidinger
As is well known, Haydn wrote his masterpiece
for the Viennese trumpeter, Anton Weidinger
(17665-1852). Weidingers teacher was Viennas
Chief Court and Field Trumpeter (Oberhof-
und Feldtrompeter) Peter Neuhold,
probably the Neuhold mentioned by
J.E. Altenburg on p. 63 of his fa-
mous treatise, Versuch einer
Anleitung zur heroisch-
musikalischen Trompeter- und
Pauker-Kunst (Halle 1795). 6
Weidinger was an unusually
gifted pupil and was released
from apprenticeship in less
than the required two years on
September 18, 1785. 7 In order
to pass such an examination,
one was required to perform the
main military signals and show
aptitude in the high or clarino
register.8 After passing his exami-
nation, Weidinger served for seven
years as a military trumpeter in two
regiments of cuirassiers and dragoons,
respectively, even seeing action against
the Turks. 9
In 1792 he became employed at a
Vienna theater; this was not the Royal Imperial
Theater (k. k. Theater) as had previously been sup-
posed, but rather one of the smaller ones of the
city (k. priviligiertes Theater). In 1796 and again
in 1823, for example, Weidinger was listed as sec-
ond trumpeter in the Marinelli Theater in the
Leopoldstadt.10 Weidingers connection with the
court came at the end of the century: on June 26,
1799, after a three-year waiting period, he was
installed as Court Trumpeter. 11 The Court Trum-
peters Corps (Hoftrompeterkorps) consisted of five
Court Trumpeters, a Chief Court Trumpeter, and
a Court Timpanist. 12
Haydn portrait courtesy of Henry Meredith
1996 International Trumpet Guild
 Figure 1. Above: Keyed trumpet made by anonymous German maker, c. 1820-1830. Owner: Musikmuseet, Stockholm
(Sign. MM 3286). Pitch: G (with crook, approximately E). Below: Keyed bugle made by I.G. Kersten, Dresden, C. 1825-1830.
Owner: Musikmuseet, Stockholm (Sign. MM2523). Pitch: B-flat. (Photos from Reine Dahlqvist,
The Keyed Trumpet and its Greatest Virtuoso, Anton Weidinger. 1975 The Brass Press. Used by permission.)

The duties of Court Trumpeters were delineated
by J.E. Altenburg as follows:
(1) To summon the emissaries to audience;
(2) To invite the same, as well as other digni-
taries, to table; (3) To regulate in advance of
the quarters of the royal household on jour-
neys; (4) To have supervision over the ser-
vants in livery, particularly at meal times;
(5) To travel forth on important matters, for
which purpose a saddle-horse is usually kept
for them13
In Vienna, the Court Trumpeters were also ex-
pected to perform if needed next to the four perma-
nently appointed trumpeters in the court orchestra
(Hofmusikkapelle). In 1807 it was decreed that the
orchestral trumpeters positions would not be filled if
they became vacant, so that with time the members
of the Court Trumpeters Corps would be expected to
play in the orchestra on a regular basis.14 On March
31 of that same year, Weidinger was appointed as a
regular member of the court theater orchestra
(Hoftheaterorchester).15
Up to the middle of the 18th century, the trumpet
was basically a natural instrument, confined to the
notes of the harmonic series. In the second half of the
18th century, however, certain players became dis-
contented with the limited possibilities offered by
natural horns, posthorns, and trumpets, and experi-

1996 International Trumpet Guild September, 1996 / ITG Journal 31

 Figure 2. First page of Haydns autograph score, from the Library of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Vienna.
(Courtesy of Universal Edition, Vienna.)
mented with ways to make them chromatic. Three
means offered themselves: hand-stopping, slides, and
keys.16 Hand-stopping, for example, was used very
successfully on the horn, and to a lesser extent on the
trumpet. In England, trumpets fitted with slides were
employed from the end of the century and well into
the 19th; slide trumpets were also known in France.
As far as keys were concerned, Weidinger was not
the first brass musician to experiment with keys to
render his instrument fully chromatic. Dahlqvists
important pamphlet lists the known experiments
made in the second half of the 18th century preced-
ing Weidingers effort: by Ferdinand Klbel and his
Amor-Schall (a kind of horn) in St. Petersburg, by an
anonymous Dresden trumpeter, by Michael Woeggel
in Durlach, Schwanitz in Weimar, Kellner in the
Netherlands, Nessman in Hamburg, and others.17
At this point the reader should be reminded of the
difference between the keyed trumpet and the keyed
32 ITG Journal / September, 1996
bugle, invented by Joseph Haliday in 1810. The keyed
trumpet is fingered with one hand, usually the left,
whereas the keyed bugle is always fingered with two.
(See Figure 1.)
Weidinger, the Keyed Trumpet, and Haydn
According to his own testimony, Weidinger had be-
gun experimenting with keys in 1793.18 Obviously,
Haydn would not have written his concerto three years
later if Weidingers instrument were not tried and
tested. The trumpeter and the composer must have
been friends, since Haydn was later one of the wit-
nesses at Weidingers wedding on February 6, 1797.19
In his previous writing for trumpets, Haydn had
usually employed them in pairs, (exception: three in
the Lord Nelson Mass). Up to 1775 he only wrote for
C trumpets, then gradually added the pitches of D
(1775), B-flat (1778-79), and E-flat (in England, 1793).
1996 International Trumpet Guild

Figure 3. Inscriptions at top of the first score page.
His writing for the trumpet was not much different
from that of his contemporaries.20 His trumpet con-
certo, then, must be considered as a kind of curiosity,
due to his friendship with Weidinger a curiosity since
he never again was to write for the keyed trumpet.21
Figure 2 shows the first page of the autograph
manuscript of Haydns concerto for the keyed trum-
pet, located in the library of the Gesellschaft der
Musikfreunde in Vienna. The orchestral and solo
trumpets are all called clarino. The orchestral parts
are at the top, and the solo part is located on the
second staff from the bottom. One can see the lone c'
at the beginning of bar eight with which the solo
trumpet ushers in the first orchestral tutti section.
The works date of composition can be seen on the
first page of the manuscript. At the top center Haydn
wrote In N[omine] D[omini] in the name of the
Lord and at the right signed his name, adding the
year of composition, [1]796. (See Figure 3.)
Weidinger did not actually perform the work until
four years later. In the meantime he must have been
gaining experience with his newly-invented, fully-
chromatic instrument by playing other works, such
as Leopold Kozeluchs Concertante in E-flat for man-
dolin, keyed trumpet, double bass, pianoforte, and
orchestra on December 2, 1798, and Joseph Weigls
concerto in E-flat for English horn, flauto damore,
keyed trumpet, viola damore, harpsichord, violon-
cello, and orchestra sometime in 1799.22
The First Performance of the Haydn Concerto
and Similar Performances at Court
With these two works and their moderate techni-
cal demands, Weidinger gained the necessary confi-
dence to go on to higher things. His next public per-
formance on the keyed trumpet was with the Haydn
concerto. It was the second work on the program of a
benefit concert (Musikalische Akademie) the trum-
peter put on for himself in the Burgtheater at 7 P .M.
on March 22, 1800, advertising it in the Wiener
Zeitung. With this, his first solo concert, he estab-
1996 International Trumpet Guild
lished an annual tradition of solo appearances on the
keyed trumpet extending into the 1820s. In the ad he
mentioned his invention of an organized trumpet
fitted out with several keys and now brought to per-
fection after seven years of costly experimenting.
Haydns concerto would be performed for the first
time, as well as an aria by Sssmayer for soprano
(Mlle. Gassmann) and organized trumpet.23
In those days, it was necessary to go through an
elaborate procedure to get Imperial permission to
give a benefit concert or to perform at court.
Weidinger, anxious to perform soloistically on the
keyed trumpet, left no stone unturned to appear in
public as often as possible. Occasions presenting them-
selves for performances at court were often dinner
concerts (Tafelmusik), given on New Years Day or
shortly thereafter, on Imperial name days, or at Im-
perial wedding receptions.
In various Vienna archives, the scholar Andreas
Lindner has recently found many formal letters writ-
ten by Weidinger asking for permission to perform on
such occasions. As Court Trumpeter he had to sub-
mit his requests either himself or through his supe-
rior, the court conductor (Hofkapellmeister) Salieri,
to the chief court administrative officer (Obersthof-
meister). For example, Weidingers request to per-
form on March 5, 1810, on the occasion of the wed-
ding of Princess Maria to Napoleon I, was refused on
the grounds that the program had already been
fixed.24 When he asked to be allowed to perform on
the Emperors birthday on February 12, 1811, he was
told to speak personally to the administrative officer,
but it is not known if he performed at all.25 A musical
academy was to be given at court a few weeks later
that year, and again Weidinger applied through
Salieri for permission to perform. This time he was
turned down because a trumpet concerto is not
pleasing to her Majesty the Empress; a clarinet con-
certo was executed instead.26 Many such documents
some successful, some not are preserved from
1810 to 1820.
In a touching submission from late 1812, Weidinger
personally requested permission of the Emperor to
perform at his next New Years dinner concert. The
valuable information contained herein is worth quot-
ing:
Your Majesty!
The undersigned requests your most gra-
cious permission to be able to perform on his
organized keyed trumpet (seiner organisirten
Klappentrompete) in a public concert given at
your Highness New Year dinner music.
Through his talent, efforts, years, and ex-
pense, the petitioner has come so far in his
profession as to receive your Highness privi-
lege for the keyed trumpet he invented.
September, 1996 / ITG Journal 33
 It is just in one [area] that he must make
an effort, [an area] indispensable to every
artists progress an opportunity to show his
talent, to distinguish himself. What could pos-
sibly be more desired, and give him more
pleasure, than the high presence of Your Maj-
esty, of the highest court [dignitarias], and
than that of the leading local and foreign
authorities?
He presumes most humbly to suggest a
concerto composed by Jos. Hayden [sic] or
Humel [sic], which lasts only 5 or 6 minutes,
and which he offers to submit to an audition.
Vienna, the 10th of December 1812
Anton Weidinger
k.k. Hof Trompeter27
The concert took place, lasting 45 minutes. The
rehearsal plan from January 8 survives. After an
overture by Kozeluch, a tenor aria by Maier, a so-
prano aria by Weigl, and a bass aria by Righini, each
of which lasted between 5 and 6 minutes, 8 minutes
were allotted to the Trompeten Concert v. Hayden,
gespielt v. Weidinger. The concert concluded with
three further works, a duet by Pr, a trio by Cimarosa,
and a symphony by an unnamed composer.28 No re-
view of the concert itself has survived.
Returning to the epochal first performance of the
Haydn concerto on March 28, 1800, we now know
what procedure Weidinger was required to go through
to be able to perform that work in the first place.
In the preface to our edition of the concerto, H.C.
Robbins Landon and I speculated on the amazing
effect this chromatic trumpet must have had on the
audience. Wishful thinking! The reality was differ-
ent: the soprano went hoarse, and hardly anyone
attended. A contemporary report reads as follows:
28. March. Friday I stayed there until 12 oclock.
Leisinger and Weinmller came [to Therese
Gassmanns] to rehearse the duet for the academy
today, but it wont be possible to do it, for the poor
thing went hoarse while singing In the evening I
was in the academy of the court trumpeter Weidinger
in the Burgtheater. Therese sang after all, but was
very hoarse. It was empty.29
Fortunately, history has been kind to Weidinger,
Haydn, and this concerto. In reflecting on the mas-
terpiece these two men have given to all of us, we can
only echo the words written by Haydn himself at the
end of his manuscript: Laus Deo Praise God. (See
Figure 4.)
Figure 4. Laus Deo from end of manuscript.
34 ITG Journal / September, 1996
Notes
1 See Reine Dahlqvist, The Keyed Trumpet and its
Greatest Virtuoso, Anton Weidinger (Nashville, TN:
The Brass Press, 1975) (Brass Research Series,
No. 1), 20.
2 He was a principal trumpeter of the Philadelphia
Orchestra in 1901-03 and of the Chicago Sym-
phony Orchestra between 1903 and 1912. See the
preface to the edition of the Haydn concerto by
H.C. Robbins Landon and the author (Vienna:
Universal Edition, 1982), note 5.
3 See Dahlqvist, loc. cit., and H.C. Robbins Landon,
Haydn: The Years of The Creation 1796-1800 (Lon-
don: Thames and Hudson, 1977), 233 and 238-240.
4 Dahlqvist, loc. cit.
5 The year of Weidingers birth was not 1767, a date
found in nearly every lexicon. This is an error go-
ing back to his first biographer Heuberger. Reine
Dahlqvist was the first to mention the correct year;
see his article Keyed Trumpet in The New Grove
Dictionary of Musical Instruments 2 (London
1984), 41. He was followed by Andreas Lindner in a
valuable contribution, Anton Weidinger (1766-1852)
(Masters thesis, University of Vienna 1993), 25.
6 Listed as the fourth of six Roman Imperial Court
Trumpeters in Vienna, serving in that orchestra
in 1766. (See my English translation of the
Altenburg treatise, Trumpeters and Kettle-
drummers Art, Nashville, TN: The Brass Press,
1974, p. 63.)
7 Dahlqvist, 10.
8 Trumpeters and Kettledrummers Art, 37.
9 Dahlqvist, 10.
10 Lindner, 25. This corrects the information given
in Dahlqvist, 10.
11 Lindner, 26.
12 Lindner, 29.
13 Trumpeters and Kettledrummers Art, 29, actually
referring to quartermasters.
14 Lindner, 32.
15 Lindner, 77.
16 The application of the various systems of chromati-
cism to all kinds of natural brass instruments is
well documented in my recent study, The Roman-
tic Trumpet I, Historic Brass Society Journal 5
(1993), 213-261.
17 Dahlqvist, 4-10.
18 This is mentioned in the ad for the concert. See
also Lindner, 26.
19 Dahlqvist, 11.
20 Vera Schwarz (ed.), Der junge Haydn (Graz, 1972)
(Bericht der internationalen Arbeitstagung des
Instituts fr Auffhrungspraxis der Hochschule
continued on page 43
1996 International Trumpet Guild
 EH: Joe, youre the newest member of the group. listening and reacting to what youre hearing while
Whats it like being with Meridian as opposed to playing. Have friends talk to you while you do your
what youve done before? best on a piece. Then try to recall what they were
Joe: What I did before was predominantly in the talking about and exactly what they said. Practice a
American Brass Quintet mode, as far as philosophy particular passage with a friend simultaneously play-
is concerned. Its been different in Meridian, but not ing a different melody from yours. Then try to mimic
as much as you would think, what he was playing. Work
because the two groups phi- Listen to music not just brass music at this. Gradually add more
losophies have a lot in com-
as much as possible. You can learn things to juggle be it an-
mon. Everything Ive been other musician or turning on
exposed to with Meridian has from a fusion group, choral ensemble, the TV and trying to recall
focused on remaining true to string quartet, or harmonica soloist. what is happening. Make
your goals, art, and style. Its your playing a two-way street.
been a change, but a nice change, and has allowed me EH: What are some published pieces you think are
to do a lot of new things. important for a quintet to learn and perform?
EH: What do you mean? Jon: The Alvin Etler Quintet for Brass Instruments,
Joe: We do a lot of different things. Playing with Lutoslawski Mini Overture, Bach Art of Fugue, David
Meridian has personally allowed me to get back into Sampson Morning Music, and Ira Taxin Brass Quintet.
improvisation. When I was doing a lot of the stan- Joe: To add to Jons list, the works by Jan Bach,
dard through-composed literature, there wasnt much Dahl, some Ewald, and Ewazen.
opportunity for improvisation. Id rather quit than EH: Thanks for your time, I am sure ITG mem-
play another bad Thats aPlenty arrangement. But bers will be interested in your experiences.
this group offers quality opportunities for improvisa- Joe & Jon: Thank you, Emery.
tion. Who wants to hear classically trained musi-
cians trying to continually pass themselves off as Discography
jazzers? Real jazz is played by people who live and
breathe it. But, improvisation is not a jazz-only con- Prime Meridian (Channel Crossings, CCS 8195)
cept, and in the right context, its spontaneity lends Smart Went Crazy (Channel Crossings, CCS 4192)
an exciting and original aspect to performances. Visions of the Renaissance (Channel Classics, CCS 6594)
EH: What were your impressions of the group Winning Artists (Channel Classics, CCS 2191)
when you joined? Five (Channel Classics, CCS 9496)
Joe: First, I was impressed with how nice they Anxiety of Influence (Channel Crossings, CCS 9796)
were; and second, how talented they were. Everyone
can compose really well. Jons stuff is very complex, Editors note: Visit the Meridian Web Site at
yet really rockin. He also writes in a lot of different http://www.pi.net/~fg.
styles. My second or third day he brought in a new
tune called Sleepless. Its subtitled, by the way, but
Ill leave that as a surprise for our concerts. We read
it, and it was so good it scared me! Everyone loved it,
and Jon was apologizing for wasting our time! Jon Haydns Trumpet Concerto
described it later as somewhere between King Crim- continued from page 34
son, Primus, and Zappa. Its very primal in nature,
very heavy, and great to listen to! Dan, our horn fr Musik in Graz), 213, quoted in Lindner, 52.
player, has written a great piece called Zen Monkey. 21 Lindner, 54.
Ray, our tubist, has written some great stuff includ- 22 Regarding the performances of Kozeluchs and
ing a tune in the Jamaican Ska style. Im trying to Weigls works, see Dahlqvist, 12-14, and Lindner,
keep up by bringing in pieces that Ive written. All 58-61.
these pieces are in our play list for concerts. This is 23 The ads text is given in full in Lindner, 61, and
the most fun Ive ever had. Everyone works really Dahlqvist, 14.
hard, and its worth it. 24 Lindner, 77-78.
EH: Do you have any advice for young brass cham- 25 Lindner, 79-80.
ber musicians? 26 Lindner, 80-81.
Joe: Listen to music not just brass music as 27 Lindner, 83; there further bibliography.
much as possible. You can learn from a fusion group, 28 Lindner, 85.
choral ensemble, string quartet, or harmonica solo- 29 H.C. Robbins Landon, op. cit. 545, quoted in
ist. Practice your musical juggling. That is, practice Lindner, 62-63.

1996 International Trumpet Guild September, 1996 / ITG Journal 43