HenriS

Hello Andrew and others,

I've now got a copy of the trumpet solo. It calls for "Natural Trumpet in Eb" and is marked (in part) "Quasi Cadenza (senza misura)". The notes used cover a very limited range:
Middle C, G (2nd line), Bb (3rd line), C (3rd space), D (4th line), E (4th space), and G (just above the stave). There is absolutely no problem with playability if you ignore the need to use the harmonic series, with the particular intonation of the 7th and 9th partials (as pointed out by Jason).

The real problem are the Bb notes. To get the sound Vaughan Williams was after, you would need a trumpet pitched an octave below conventional Bb or Eb instruments. I played the part on my Natural Trumpet (Meinl & Lauber, 1970, Edward Tarr model), and there is no problem with those 7th and 9th partials. Unfortunately, it's built in D, not Eb.

Were Natural Trumpets built in Eb around Vaughan Williams's time? I can't remember reading of any. I may well be wrong, but my feeling is that nats were more or less museum instruments until the second half of the 20th century.

So, I suppose today's orchestral players would just play the notes as written, on standard instruments (or can you get natural trumpets pitched in Eb?). I still wonder what instrument would have been used by players in Vaughan Williams's day.

Thanks, everyone for your comments.