A trumpet concerto is a musical work for trumpet and orchestra, usually in two or three movements, in which the trumpet takes up a theme alternately with the orchestra or engages in a dialogue with the remaining instruments. A sonata-form first movement with a slow second movement was the traditional pattern for such a concerto in classical times. The concerto’s final movement is frequently in the form of a fast dance movement, such as a rondo, or a theme with variations. When used as a solo instrument, the trumpet’s clear, powerful sound stands out, prompting the composition of concertos in which the trumpet sings a melodic line or provides a counter melody to a theme played by the orchestra.
Composers such as Georg Friedrich Handel, Giuseppe Torelli, and Georg Philipp Telemann used the trumpet concerto for the first time during the Baroque period. Although the trumpet’s range was limited in Baroque times compared to later periods, Handel’s trumpet concerto has remained a staple of trumpet players’ repertoire over the years. Telemann also used the trumpet to great effect against the instrumental ensemble’s background.
A concerto written by Joseph Haydn in 1796 is the most famous example of a trumpet concerto in classical times. Because it was written for trumpet player Anton Weidinger, who had invented a row of valves that allowed the trumpet to play a series of notes on the chromatic scale in lower registers than was previously possible, the work was groundbreaking. This greatly expanded the trumpet’s possibilities as a solo instrument, and Haydn emphasized these new possibilities in this piece by introducing chromatic passages. Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s trumpet concerto, composed in 1804, is another three-movement work that showcased the instrument’s new capabilities. The lyrical second movement celebrates the trumpet’s arrival as a versatile solo instrument, and the piece includes modulations that were not possible on the old form of trumpet.
Throughout the twentieth century, various trumpet concertos explored the instrument’s various possibilities in a variety of styles. Vagn Holmboe’s Concerto No. 11 for Trumpet and Orchestra, written in 1948, begins with a short and slow movement, followed by three movements that highlight the trumpet’s melodic possibilities. Alexander Arutiunian’s trumpet concerto, written in 1950, includes melodic passages in the style of Armenian and Russian folk music. The work is not divided into movements, but rather into five sections with no breaks in between. The piece quickly became a staple of the trumpet repertoire after its debut in the United States.