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