Best trumpeters... a history
The trumpet is one of the oldest musical instruments, evolving over many centuries from a rudimentary signalling device to the versatile instrument we know today. This journey has been shaped by the people who play it: the trumpeters who have revolutionised the instrument with physical developments and technical advances, using it in different genres of music, expanding the repertoire and breaking down barriers. Were it not for Anton Weidinger’s development of a seven-keyed trumpet in the early-19th century, for instance, there would be no Haydn or Hummel Trumpet Concerto, while the invention of piston valves revolutionised the technical capabilities of the instrument, codified by JB Arban in his 1864 method book.
Historically, the trumpet has been considered an instrument only capable of playing loud fanfares, but it also has a lyrical, expressive side akin to the human voice. Trumpet players such as Timofei Dokschitzer brought the melodic beauty of our instrument to the forefront, while Louis Armstrong popularised the use of trumpet alongside his own singing voice in jazz and popular music.
Personal heroes
My list also contains some of my enduring trumpet heroes, including my professor and mentor Håkan Hardenberger, who fundamentally transformed my approach to trumpet playing on all fronts; while, as a female trumpet player, it is of great importance to me to highlight two trailblazers who have broken the mould in this traditionally male-dominated world of trumpet playing and without whom my career as an international trumpet soloist would have never been possible.
Every trumpet player on the planet today will have been inspired by one or more of these legends of our instrument, whether through the study and practice of Arban’s method book, performing Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto or transcribing Miles Davis’s solos. This is a story of the trumpet, its history and development, told through the lens of the greats that have shaped this magnificent instrument!
The best trumpeters...
John Blanke (fl. c.1500-15)
John Blanke was a Tudor trumpeter who played in the royal courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII in the early 1500s. He is famously depicted twice in the 1511 Westminster Tournament Roll – a 60-foot-long illuminated manuscript of a royal procession that shows Blanke holding a long, valveless trumpet as he performs on horseback. Not only is Blanke one of the earliest named trumpet players that we know of, significantly he is also the first known Black person in Britain whose name and image survive together. His presence in such a prominent setting highlights that people of African heritage have been part of both British and musical history for centuries, contributing in ways that have been too often overlooked or forgotten.
Anton Weidinger (1766-1852)
A pioneering Austrian trumpet virtuoso of the Classical era, Weidinger had friendships with Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Hummel, and in 1799 joined the Imperial and Royal Court Trumpeter Corps. Importantly, he developed a seven-keyed trumpet, the first capable of playing a full chromatic scale, revolutionising what the instrument could do. Haydn composed his Trumpet Concerto for Weidinger, premiered in 1800, as both a gesture of friendship and a celebration of this invention, replacing traditional fanfares with lyrical melodies and chromatic flourishes. Hummel followed suit, writing his E major Concerto in 1803, first performed at the Esterházy court. These two concertos remain our most famous and beloved works, and I play them both many times a year, always feeling a sense of ‘coming home’.
More best trumpeters...
Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825-89)
Arban was a legendary French virtuoso of the valved cornet, as well as a conductor, composer and influential teacher. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire from 1841-45 and later returned as a professor, shaping generations of brass players. Inspired by the dazzling technique of violinist Niccolò Paganini, Arban brought a similar flair and brilliance to the cornet. His enduring legacy is Arban’s Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet (1864), fondly known among trumpet players as the ‘Trumpeter’s Bible’. It remains the most famous and widely used trumpet method book in the world, essential for learners at every level. Arban also composed showpieces for the instrument, including Variations on a Carnival of Venice and Variations on Bellini’s Norma.
Louis Armstrong (1901-71)
Louis Armstrong, aka ‘Satchmo’ or ‘Pops,’ started learning the cornet in 1912 at the Colored Waif’s Home for Boys in New Orleans, later playing on Mississippi river boats and with Joe ‘King’ Oliver’s band in Chicago. In the 1920s, he revolutionised jazz by shifting the focus from group improvisation to solo performance, pioneering virtuosic trumpet solos, swing rhythms and scat singing. With a career spanning five decades, he embraced recordings, film, radio and TV, becoming a global icon. He won a Grammy Award for hit song ‘Hello Dolly!’ and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. His charm, charisma and collaborations, especially with Ella Fitzgerald, brought tremendous popularity to the trumpet and cemented its place in jazz music and beyond.
More best trumpeters...
Timofei Dokschitzer (1921-2005)
The celebrated Soviet trumpeter Timofei Dokschitzer was born in Ukraine and studied in Moscow. As solo trumpeter of the Bolshoi Theatre, he developed a distinctive sound shaped by his deep love of opera. Dokschitzer created over 80 transcriptions from violin, piano and vocal works by composers such as Glière, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Rimsky-Korsakov and Chopin that form a huge body of repertoire for trumpet players today. Dokschitzer also inspired new compositions such as the Concerto by Weinberg, and his landmark recording of Arutiunian’s Concerto helped make it a staple of the solo repertoire. He opened the door for the trumpet to showcase its lyrical voice and gave us a repertoire with which to do exactly that!
More best trumpeters...
Miles Davis (1926-91)
As a groundbreaking jazz trumpeter, bandleader and composer, Miles Davis’s innovations reshaped jazz over five decades. After studying at the Juilliard School, he joined New York’s jazz scene, performing with saxophonist Charlie Parker and pianist Thelonious Monk. In the 1950s, he led the development of ‘cool’ jazz, later shifting to ‘hard bop’ and collaborating with pianist Gil Evans on orchestral jazz albums like Sketches of Spain. His 1959 album Kind of Blue, a landmark in ‘modal jazz’, remains one of the most popular and best-selling jazz records ever. Most admirable of all is how Davis was constantly reinventing himself and his music, later fusing jazz with rock and funk, pushing musical boundaries and influencing generations of trumpet players.
More best trumpeters...
Maurice André (1933-2012)
Renowned for his extraordinary technique and brilliant tone, the French trumpeter Maurice André rose to international prominence after winning the Geneva (1955) and ARD (1963) International Music Competitions. He popularised the piccolo trumpet through recordings of his transcriptions of Baroque works for oboe, flute, voice and strings by composers such as Bach, Handel and Albinoni. As professor at the Paris Conservatoire, he introduced the teaching of piccolo trumpet and produced a new four-valved piccolo trumpet specially adapted to this repertoire. Known for his expressive playing and impeccable technique, André also inspired new works by composers such as Tomasi and Jolivet that remain key pieces in our repertoire.
Susan Slaughter (born 1940s)
Slaughter was a trailblazer in the male-dominated world of trumpet playing, becoming the first female principal trumpet in a major orchestra when appointed to the St Louis Symphony in 1973 – a position she held for 40 years. In 1992, she founded the International Women’s Brass Conference to support and promote female brass musicians through conferences, competitions, commissions and mentorship. To showcase top talent, she launched Monarch Brass, an all-female brass ensemble that has performed across the US and Europe to critical acclaim. Through the creation of these fantastic resources, her legacy lies not only in her orchestral career but also in the transformative opportunities she has created, inspiring and empowering generations of women in brass.
More best trumpeters...
Håkan Hardenberger (born 1961)
Described by The Times as ‘the best trumpet player in the galaxy’, Swedish trumpeter, conductor and professor Håkan Hardenberger is a trailblazer for the modern trumpet who has pushed the boundaries of its technical and expressive limits, leading composers including Birtwistle, HK Gruber, Betsy Jolas, Helen Grime, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Jörg Widmann to write bold new works for him. Having studied under Hardenberger at the Malmö Academy of Music myself, I have been inspired by his relentless pursuit not only of technical command of the instrument, but also his dedication to the music that we play and our jobs as trumpet players to convey emotions and storytelling to the audience. He has also encouraged me to champion new works myself.
Alison Balsom (born 1978)
Alison Balsom has reshaped perceptions of the trumpet and expanded possibilities for women in classical music. Appearing as a finalist in BBC Young Musician of the Year in 1998 led to an international solo career that has since brought three Classic BRITs and Gramophone magazine’s Artist of the Year award (2013), plus appearances at the Last Night of the Proms in both 2009 and ’25. Now add to that list the role of artistic director of the Cheltenham Music Festival in 2019 and a return to BBC Young Musician as a presenter in 2014 and ’16. Awarded an OBE in 2016, Balsom has paved the way for a new generation of trumpet soloists to follow in her footsteps – myself included!