The trumpet was originally made of wood, bamboo or cane and was later imitated in metal. It originally was used to serve magical and not musical ends; they were used to distort man's voice, and were sung into in order to ward off evil spirits. In the ancient Mediterranean area, the trumpet was both a war and temple instrument. In ancient Egypt, trumpets are first depicted circa 1400 B.C. and were made from metal with a conical bore and a short, flaring bell. Surviving examples have a wooden stopper that fit the whole bore exactly, probably to protect the thin metal. Ancient Etruscan trumpets were similar, also with a conical bore. Egyptian, Etruscan, Israelite and Roman trumpets were all straight. The trumpet of post-classical Europe first appears as a degeneration of the tuba, which was replaced in the 13 century by a long straight trumpet with a conical bore. By the end of the 14th century, the trumpet is folded into an s shape (pic in dissertation) and by the 15th century it was in the form of the "natural" trumpet, wound into an elongated hoop. This was what became the classical trumpet of Europe and remained fairly standard until the end of the 18th century. Originally an instrument of world power, the trumpet had been an instrument of princes and high dignitaries in the East, and was to retain this role in Europe. Only people of high societal standing and the free cities of the German Empire were allowed to have trumpeters. Therefore, trumpet players were members of a priveledged and powerful guild that guarded its rights carefully. The members were classified according to the range that they were capable of playing, principale or clarino. In the 18th century, the guild broke up, and the trumpet was freed from restrictive practises. Up until the 19th century, the trumpet was a single tube with a buzz mouthpiece through which air was blown faster or slower to obtain a higher or lower pitch respectively. In the 1820's, valves started to come into use on trumpets. This made the instrument fully chromatic and capable of playing melodies just like any other instrument of the time. This development led to the instrument that we all know today as the trumpet. (1)
