Music from the Trumpeter Tower at Hohensalzburg Castle

In earlier times, trumpets were found in almost all the important courts in Europe. Court and field trumpeters in Salzburg were also a regular feature at court from the Middle Ages onwards. A tower for trumpeters was built at the castle in 1465, on which so-called tower keepers carried out their duties. They were obliged to look out for approaching danger or other incidents and to report them with their signals.

The trumpeters’ tasks also included other obligations in court ceremonies, such as a signaling service or the accompaniment of princes during public appearances, funeral services or in the event of war. Trumpeters remained part of the castle’s court staff as long as Hohensalzburg was used as a residence and for representational purposes by the Princes. From the 17th century, the Residenz, which in the meantime had been renovated and rebuilt, was much more convenient for the high lords, and the trumpeters also settled in the Residenz with the Prince Archbishops and became an integral component of court ceremonies.

In accordance with their function, music for trumpets and timpani was simple, functional music until 1800 and there are hardly any traditional compositions for this role. In Salzburg, however, music pieces for ceremonial parades and processions has been preserved in the archive of the Nonntal Abbey. The composers of these processional pieces were mainly Salzburg court trumpeters from the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century. These are performed during Salzburg’s tower concerts at the castle every Sunday from 11.45 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.

Kindly supported by The city of Salzburg and Tourism Salzburg.