trumpet
A brass instrument with a brilliant, penetrating tone, played with valves.
In Depth
The modern trumpet uses three valves to redirect air through additional tubing, changing the instrument's fundamental pitch and giving it access to a full chromatic scale. The instrument's bright, penetrating tone has made it one of the most prominent voices in both orchestral and popular music.
The natural trumpet (without valves) was used for centuries in military and ceremonial contexts. Bach and Handel wrote virtuosic parts for skilled natural trumpeters. The valved trumpet, developed in the early 19th century, greatly expanded the instrument's capabilities. In jazz, the trumpet has been the dominant lead instrument since Louis Armstrong, through Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and beyond.
Louis Armstrong's upper register and rhythmic innovations in the 1920s were so revolutionary that jazz historian Gary Giddins called them the most significant advances in musical expression since Bach.