By John Tamilio III, Ph.D.
There is a moment during H+H’s performance of Handel’s Messiah when two trumpet players emerge from opposite wings of the Symphony Hall balcony and play a fanfare. It’s one of my favorite parts of this famous oratorio. My heart skips a beat at the sound of the majestic flourish, imagining that this is how the piece would have sounded to the first audience to hear Messiah in 1742. This musical time-travel is possible because H+H trumpet players, as with the rest of the H+H Orchestra, perform on period instruments (or preeminent replicas) like the ones Handel and other composers of the Baroque era (~1600-1750) wrote for.
In this article, we’ll explore the difference between a few of the Baroque brass instruments and their modern counterparts.
BAROQUE bRASS iNSTRUMENTS AT A gLANCE
What brass instruments were used in the Baroque period?
The trumpet, trombone, and natural horn (predecessor of the French horn) were used in the Baroque period, although these instruments all looked and sounded a bit different than their modern counterparts.
What are the main differences between the Baroque trumpet and modern trumpet?
A Baroque or “natural” trumpet is longer than a modern trumpet, and it does not have valves. Baroque trumpeters change pitch by controlling their air flow through the instrument instead of pressing down on valves as one would play a modern trumpet.
What are the main differences between the Baroque trombone and modern trombone?
Baroque trombones are distinct from modern trombones primarily in the size and shape of the bell. The Baroque trombone has a much smaller bell with a less curved flare, which tends to make the instrument play softer than a modern trombone.
Why do Baroque brass instruments sound different from modern ones?
Differences in design, construction, and how they are played contribute to the unique sound of Baroque brass instruments. Baroque instruments are typically longer than their modern counterparts, resulting in a brighter, more penetrating sound. Baroque trumpets do not have valves, so players control pitch by using their airflow. Baroque composers did not write trumpet parts in the wide range of notes made possible by the valves on modern trumpets. The smaller bell size and shape of the bell on a Baroque trombone creates a softer sound and different tone quality than a modern trombone. Period instrument orchestras, like H+H recreate the sound of Baroque music as it was written and heard by its first audiences hundreds of years ago. The distinct sound of the Baroque horn can be heard in Handel’s Water Music, to be performed by H+H on April 10 + 12, 2026 at Symphony Hall.
BAROQUE Trumpet vs. Modern Trumpet
In addition to tassel ornamentation and length, an immediate difference you’ll notice when looking at a Baroque or natural trumpet alongside a modern trumpet is that it does not have valves. Valves are vertical pistons that enable the trumpeter to change pitch with the first three fingers of the hand, allowing the other hand to hold the instrument steady. These valves change the flow of air through the instrument to produce the desired notes. However, they were not invented until 1820, so Baroque composers did not write with them in mind.
Baroque trumpeters, like H+H’s own Chris Belluscio, must change pitch by controlling the air flow with their lips instead. Because they can only play in one pitch center at a time, they sometimes must change the notes available to them by adding tubular-shaped extensions onto the trumpet. These extensions resemble smaller versions of the pipe fittings plumbers use. Belluscio says, “the actual fundamental pitch of our [Baroque] instrument, say from C to D pitch center, is achieved by changes in the overall length of tubing—shorter to go higher, and longer to go lower.” One can imagine how much skill is involved in creating, sustaining, and changing notes with one’s mouth and breath alone! (An interesting aside: Baroque horn players used their hands to change the sound within the bell of the instrument, as many modern French horn players still do.)
H+H trumpet players Jesse Levine and Paul Perfetti play Handel’s Messiah. Photo by Lara Silberklang.
Maybe the demands of playing the natural trumpet melodically are part of the reason why, prior to the 1600s, trumpets were mostly used by the military for field trumpeting, meaning they were used to send signals to troops. It wasn’t until the seventeenth century that they made their first foray into what Belluscio terms “art music.”
Listening to those early trumpet parts in Baroque music, you will notice that they are typically higher than modern trumpet scores. Think, for example, of the first movement of J.S. Bach’s Cantata 63, to be performed during Baroque Christmas at NEC’s Jordan Hall Dec 18 + 21, 2025. However, by the end of the 18th century, such high-range (or clarino) playing technique was no longer popular due to changing musical tastes and associations with royal opulence, which was going out of style.
Baroque Trombone vs. Modern TROMBONE
The differences between a Baroque trombone and its modern counterpart are not as obvious at first glance, because the instrument has not changed that much in the past 500 years. As H+H trombone player Greg Ingles puts it, “The differences are more subtle, but make for a vastly different playing experience.” However slight, these differences are critical to achieve the sound of historically informed performance. Ingles explains, “The shape of the Baroque trombone bell is much smaller with a much less curved flare. The bell size tends to make the instrument play a bit softer, which was perfect for the trombone repertoire in the Baroque era.”
H+H trombone Greg Ingles gives audience members a close-up look (and listen!) at his instrument before an H+H concert at Symphony Hall. Photo by Lara Silberklang.
During the Baroque period, the trombone served a dual purpose. First, its lower range balanced the other two instruments which it accompanied for chamber ensembles: violins and cornetti. Its other function was to double the vocal melody, particularly in larger works, such as Monteverdi’s Vespers, Biber’s Requiem, and Handel’s Israel in Egypt. The Baroque-style bell is ideal for this use, because, as Ingles notes, it helps the instrument support the voice “without overpowering it.” In Handel’s Saul, which opens H+H’s 2025-26 Season at Symphony Hall October 3 + 5, the trombones are used for haunting and prominent effect in the oratorio’s Dead March.
If you look closely at a Baroque trombone—if you literally put your lips to it—you will discover another critical difference: The mouthpiece is flat, whereas modern mouthpieces are rounded with a bowl-shaped cup. The flat “v” or funnel-shaped mouthpiece enables players to grip it better with their lips, which produces a fuller tone with “exceedingly soft dynamics,” according to Ingles.
H+H trombonist Erik Schmalz has a wide selection of trombones from various periods and places, and adds that, upon careful inspection, one will see more nuanced differences between Baroque and modern trombones. “Every aspect of construction is different,” he says. “Baroque trombones are high quality instruments with intricate details built for a specific purpose.” Although some see the Baroque model as a more “primitive” trombone, Schmalz disagrees, claiming that these instruments are better able to produce the sound the composer intended than modern versions.
But even seasoned modern players will have trouble playing a Baroque trombone for the first time. “My experience has been that even the best modern trombonists will sound like a fifth grader when they first try to make a sound on a Baroque instrument,” Schmalz quips. Though it may look similar to the instruments found in most orchestras today, one must approach the Baroque trombone as if it is a completely different instrument.
h+h Revives the Sound of Baroque Brass
Today, as I sit in the audience and listen to the H+H Baroque brass section, I imagine these aficionados starting out the same way—as adolescents pushing the valves of burnished gold trumpets or extending their arms to lob notes from slide trombones. (Of course, the slide was also a way to hit the violinists in the back of their heads.) As we listen to these artists perform on period instruments today, all these years later, we can all exclaim “Wow!” just as nine-year-old Ronan Mattin did four years ago.
John Tamilio III, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Salem State University, Pastor at the Congregational Church of Canton, and Board Member of the Handel and Haydn Society. He holds degrees in Theology, Literature, Philosophy, and English from Boston University, Andover Newton Theological School, Northeastern University, and Salem State University, and conducted post-doctoral research at Harvard University.