The trumpet is one of the oldest instruments in the world and is found in almost every culture. As early as 3500 years ago, the Egyptians used trumpet-like metal instruments called shenebs, which also influenced the ancient Jewish khazozra. The first trumpets, such as the Greek salpinx or the Roman tuba, were characterized by their elongated shape without coils.
It is noteworthy that the Roman tuba is not considered a direct precursor to the modern trumpet. In Europe, further development began with the busine, which had a cylindrical tube and is now considered the ancestor of both the trumpet and the trombone. Until the beginning of the 18th century, the trumpet was primarily played in a low D key.
During the time of Palestrina (1526–1594) and Giovanni Gabrieli (1557–1612), instrumental music experienced an epochal development. The trumpet, which until then had been used primarily for military purposes and at festivities, found its way into the orchestra. Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) already used it with a mute (sordino).
In the second half of the 18th century, trumpeters also adopted the stopping technique common to the horn. However, this technique fell completely out of use in the first quarter of the 19th century with the introduction of the valve trumpet. As early as 1831, valves were installed in a post horn, creating the cornet à pistons ("horn with valves"). From the mid-19th century onward, trumpeters increasingly began to use only the high B-flat and high C trumpets.
The trumpet in use today is a three-valve, less commonly four-valve, high brass instrument, played as an aerophone with a cup mouthpiece, following the principle of a cup-style reed. It has a relatively narrow bore and is usually made of brass. The curved tube is cylindrical for much of its length before tapering conically into the wide bell. The tube length of the most commonly used B-flat trumpet is approximately 130 cm.