The Trumpets of Early England

Christopher Reidak Pena

Matthew Sergi

ENG 331

April 1, 2014

The Trumpets of Early England

The Records of Early English Drama – which will hereafter be referred to as REED – contain records of a variety of musical instruments used in England, dating to and beyond the year of 1603; however, none appear to have been used with the same versatility as the trumpet. The trumpet evidently made a variety of contributions to not only the performance of English drama, but it provided social and military uses as well. The records suggest that trumpets were used within the plays and festivals of Corpus Christi and St. George’s Day. Evidence also supports that the instrument had social uses, such as in the making of parades and lotteries. The records also offer anecdotal evidence that trumpets were used along with drums in military groups, and to diffuse social disputes within cities.  

            Some Coventry receipts of payment for pageants and rehearsals list the cost of a trumpet as a separate payment from the other musical instruments (REED). This is the case for Cambridge as well, where documents indicate that separate payments were given to a town trumpeter, as a type of honourable role, perhaps because of the difficulty to play it (REED). Some York records also suggest that licenses were required for trumpeters to perform and teach within the city of York, or else pay a fine (REED). This collection of evidence across the three cities reinforce the idea that perhaps trumpets were more in demand and monitored than other musical instruments. This may simply be due to the value of the instrument, which is presumably high, as they were passed down in wills along with other expensive items (REED); alternatively, perhaps the use of trumpets in courts and the military resulted in the instrument maintaining a status above other musical instruments, where only guilds and courts would be primarily responsible for their use. This would contrast the playing of other instruments by common minstrels and troubadours, where the use of strings and woodwind instruments was  likely favoured over that of trumpets.

            The records from Dorset, Cornwall and York provide evidence of payment for trumpets for Corpus Christi plays. Cornwall records contain manuscripts which refer to trumpets performing at the end of three major plays: Ordinalia, Beumans Meriasek, and the Creation (REED). The York records also contain receipts, detailing that trumpets were hired in the production of a York Mercers’ play (REED). The instrumentation likely provided a source of entertainment outside of drama, while the plays were not being acted. As well, the jousting challenge between Thomas Mowbray and Henry of Bolingbroke, which consequently got them both banished before the duel could happen, have records of trumpets sounding during the challenge (REED). Perhaps productions of Shakespeare’s Richard II involved the use of trumpets for that particular scene.

 Trumpets appear to have played a role in advertising plays as well. The Chester records indicate that for the Whitson plays, which were advertised to play on St. George’s Day, a man would ride through every street with drums and trumpets (REED). The combination of drums and trumpets likely provided a loud sound, and the need to ride through every street suggests that those producing the plays likely wanted to noisily advertise to everybody in town. The Coventry records also contain evidence that those who ordered the trumpets for pageants were also in charge of mending and maintaining them (REED).

            The Cornwall records reference Thomas Heywood’s An Apology for Actors, a document written in the early 1600s. The records reference Heywood’s account that on one night circa 1600, a Spanish invasion was scared off by the sounds of trumpets and drums coming from within city, where a play was taking place (REED). The Spanish apparently thought that the noises were an alarm to signal the presence of invaders, and consequently fled the town. Other than this anecdote, no evidence exists in REED as to whether or not this event really took place, but the casual mention of trumpets playing does suggest that they were commonly used in the production of plays and military use. Trumpets were also used in lottery celebrations, where the winner of large prizes would be celebrated and accompanied by a trumpet and drum as he displayed his prize through the streets; however, these records date slightly after 1603 (REED). Another anecdotal account from Cornwall suggests that the mayor sent a group of armed men, along with a trumpet and drum accompaniment, to settle some social disruptions within the city (REED). The record of one particular case, although dated after 1603, does provide evidence that one of these armed groups were sent to stop a group of teenagers from sounding their drums in the city after warnings by the mayor to stop (1603). Similar to this story, a Cambridge account from the late 1300s records that a parade was put on by Cambridge students to mock officers of the court. The parade itself apparently contained loud trumpets and drums as the students pretended to be officers as a way of making fun of them.

            The Cambridge records provide evidence that a number of colleges paid for the use of trumpets as well. Early records suggest that trumpets were also used within the Cambridge courts. A particular record from Sussex College contains an anecdote that a trumpeter hired from Northampton had both his hands damaged by a cannon, resulting in him having to play the trumpet with two fingers (REED). This would of course be impossible with the modern three valve system used in trumpets, so it does indirectly provide evidence that the instrument has evolved considerably since then. Colleges appear to have been a prominent hirer of trumpeters in Cambridge. Some groups were even hired routinely by colleges in the middle of the 16^th century (REED). The records note, “William Suthey, a musician of King’s College, assisted John Goldyng in the plays of 1482-3[with his trumpet]” (REED). Also, “John Mere describes a 1556-7 show in Trinity College court which represented the capture of ‘an hold’ and the taking of prisoners, ‘with waytes trumpettes, gonnes & squybbes” (REED). This latter reference suggests that the military capture of prisoners did involve the use of music, and trumpets in particular. This reinforces the idea that trumpeters did accompany soldiers and serve a role outside of the dramatic sphere. The Cambridge records also point out that manuscripts of Thomas Legge’s Richardus Tertius and The Destruction of Jerusalem have many indications of scenes where trumpets may be present (REED). This combination of evidence reinforces the idea that trumpets were used in and out of dramatic production.

            These records provide evidence that trumpets were likely not only used in the production of plays, but provided other uses as well. Some of these other uses were in lotteries, settling social disputes, jousts, and military uses. The versatility of the instrument offered a variety of options of how to use it, whether it was simply for the noise, as with advertising or accidentally scaring off Spanish invaders; alternatively, it could be used for its musical qualities in celebrations, such as those of Corpus Christi and St. George’s Day. The records show that colleges and churches alike hired trumpets for their plays, which shows that the instrument had both sacred and secular uses in old England. The players of the trumpet may have also held honourable roles in guilds or the court, as the evidence indicates that they were not commonly played by lower class citizens.

Works Cited List

Records of Early English Drama: Cambridge. Ed. Alan H. Nelson. University of Toronto: Toronto. 1989. Print.
Records of Early English Drama: Chester. Ed. Lawrence M. Clopper. University of Toronto: Toronto. 1979. Print.

Records of Early English Drama: Coventry. Ed. R.W. Ingram. University of Toronto: Toronto. 1981. Print.

Records of Early English Drama: Dorset Cornwall . Ed. Hays, Rosalind Conklin et al. University of Toronto: Toronto. 1999. Print.

Records of Early English Drama: York. Vol. 1. Eds. Alexandra F. Johnston and Margaret Rogerson. University of Toronto: Toronto. 1979. Print.