Haydn, Joseph - Trumpet Concerto - Allegro Trumpet and Piano Accompaniment, Play along, Backing Track, PDF scores

Franz Joseph Haydn

 (1732 – 1809) 

The Haydn Trumpet Concerto was written in 1796, but it wasn’t premiered until March 28, 1800—216 years ago today.

The four-year delay before the premier likely occurred because Weidlinger needed more time to perfect his trumpet design, and the concerto showed off some cornerstone achievements of the new trumpet. 

 Subscribe to my YouTube channel 

 

Chromatics and major scales in the low register were just two advantages of the new trumpets. The piece ushered in a new future for the trumpet as a solo instrument with virtuosic capabilities. 

At any rate, the audience members in attendance at Vienna’s Royal Imperial Theater (the Burgtheater) on March 28, 1800, were shocked by the new capabilities of Weidinger’s trumpet.

Anton Weidinger 

(1766 in Vienna – 1852 in Vienna)

was an Austrian trumpet virtuoso in the classical era, and a

"k. k. Hof-Trompeter" (Imperial and Royal Court trumpeter).

 He was friends with Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Hummel.

The Writing of the Haydn Trumpet Concerto

The turn of the century brought on some significant changes to the way trumpets were made—the trumpet was due for a makeover if you will. 

Haydn was good friends with the German trumpet virtuoso Anton Weidinger, and Weidinger had been working on a brand-new trumpet design for several years. 

Haydn wrote his trumpet concerto with the specific intent of “showing off” the capabilities of this groundbreaking trumpet design, says James Keller on the San Francisco Symphony website.

Weidinger referred to his new invention as the “organisierte Trompete,” which came to be known as the “keyed trumpet.”

James Keller writes, “The tone of Weidinger’s keyed trumpet was far less penetrating than the brilliant sound of the Baroque trumpet, and its timbre was sometimes compared to that of a clarinet or oboe. It blended nicely within the orchestra, and it gained a devoted following among trumpeters for several decades, especially in Austria and Italy.”

Modern trumpet players use the E flat trumpet to play the Haydn Trumpet Concerto since it most properly represents the timbre that Haydn had in mind when he wrote his concerto. 

Furthermore, the concerto was written in the key of E flat. For trumpet students unacquainted with the E flat trumpet, though, scores of the concerto in B flat are available (learning to play on the E flat is well worth the effort, though!).