Lohengrin trumpet. Brass with silver plate. One water key. Two eyelets on outer bows of the main instrument for a strap. Mouthpiece is not original but associated with instrument. Two crooks. Silver bell garland. Stamp on bell reads: S. Arthur Chappell./52 New Bond Street./London. The number 2 is stamped on the mouthpiece receiver. Smaller crook is stamped with the number 3 and the letter D. The larger crook is stamped with the letter C.
The herald trumpet is a ceremonial instrument used for military fanfares and signals. It has a bright, arresting tone but lacks valves and so can only play a limited range of pitches. Wagner uses eight herald trumpets in his opera Lohengrin (1848), six of which are played onstage. To overcome the lack of pitch variety, four different sizes of instrument are used. As a result, opera houses usually possess a set of eight 'Lohengrin trumpets' in the four required sizes. This instrument was used for Lohengrin performances at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in the mid 20th century.
