Military Music
Tuba:
It was made out of copper or iron. It was a long tube with the length of about 120-140
centimeters with a conical piercing. It existed mostly out of 3 parts with a
mouthpiece. The origin is Etruscan and has many similarities with the Greek Salpinx.
The difference between these two is that the end of the tube of the salpinx had the form
of a tulip. They were both used in the army and in competitions. The goal was to
sound as loud as possible. The sound of it was according to Ennius horrible: " at tuba
terribili sonitu taratamtara dixit". You could also hear the tuba at sacrifices, processions,
thriumphal processions and funerals. But the main goal was to give the signals for tactical
movements in battle. Caesar used this to withdraw from battle
(Caes. Gall. 2,20,1) and his
opponent Vercingetorix also used this instrument
(Caes. Gall. 7,81,3).
Cornu:
The origin is also Etruscan and is the second most important in the army-instruments.
The sound was meant for the soldiers who were under a certain sign. It played its role
also in the classicum, probably the oldest signal: it called the Romans to assemble
at important meetings. Later on, this signal was associated with the Emperors or the
presence of important people. In the usual world, you could hear it play at the theater and
gladiator fights like on the Nennig mosaic. Its appearance was enormous.
In Pompei,
an original was found with a length of 320 cm and a diameter of 140 cm. It has also a
detachable mouthpiece with a length of about 13,5 to 18,5 cm. The cornu
on the picture underneath is a copy of an original bought by dr. D.F.
Scheurleer. It's made of galvanized copper and has a diameter of 140 cm and
the lenght of the tube is 379 cm !
Foto: Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
Picture: Museum Valkhof Nijmegen
Picture: Rheinische Landesmuseum bonn
The origin of it lies in the hunting horn. This existed out of horn or earthenware.
This one is found in Memphis and is from the time of the Greek and the Romans.
Picture: Allard Pierson Museum Amsterdam
Bucina:
It looks a lot like the tuba/salpinx. In the literature, there is a confusion about this.
The only external difference lies in the end: it broads to the form of a beaker. The sound
was a bit more penetrating, acutet and sharper. Its task: to sign the hours of the night
to the night watchman, to wake up the soldiers and announce the hours of the meal.
The players of these instruments had not as much exemptions as the others: they also had
to dig graves, cut wood and so on.
Lituus:
It is a variant of the tuba. It is bent at the end. The sound was the
same. The great problem
is that in literature both instruments and players were mixed together. G. Wille points
to Vergilius: he uses the lituus as a substitute for the tuba. Still, it had a 'cohortial'
status and they are not much represented on pictures .. Still, we have a beautifull specimen
found in the Rhine in Düsseldorf. It is tuned in A and has a length of 78 cm. On the tube
you can see metal rings throught wich a belt was attached.
Picture: Rheinische Landesmuseum Bonn
Photo: National museum Poznan (found in Malborka - 2/1 BC)
The origin of the lituus is most likely Celtic, the carnyx. The most typical of this
instrument is the end of the tube. One played so that the end of the bend with the decoration
could be seen in air to scare the enemy. Caesar was afraid by the looks of it, and Claudius
feared it when he invaded England. Two of these carnyxes are found. One
in 1768 near Lincolshire but sadly destroyed begin 19th century by the
enthousiastic scientist Joseph Banks. Another one is found in Scotland,
and it's in a very good state. The
head is the picture of a wild bear. The tongue and cheeks are moveble and are made out of
bronze and messing. The material came from Roman lands so that we can determine the date of
it: 50 BC - 200 AD. It was found in 1818 and was reconstructed by
musicologist John Purser and
archeologist Fraser Hunter.
All 3 pictures < Carnyx-site (cf. 'Links')
Photo: detail from a celtic cauldron, 2/1ste BC, found in
Gundestrup, is exposed at the nationaal museum of Copenhagen