The Orchestral Alto Trumpet - Rimsky-Korsakov: "Procession of the Nobles" from Mlada Suite (1894)

This video is part of a series where I play the orchestral "contralto trumpet in F" parts in the Russian literature on an actual alto trumpet. These parts are always played on B-flat trumpets due to altos being nearly extinct, so this series shows these parts in the way they were meant to be heard. Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) was a trailblazer for orchestration, pioneering many extended techniques and new timbres. He also claimed to have "invented" the F alto trumpet, though my hunch is that he commissioned its creation from an established instrument maker. His opera-ballet Mlada is one of several of his compositions in which he called for contralto in F, and its most famous bit is the Cortege, "Procession of the Nobles". The alto doesn't have the tune, but you can hear how it fills out harmonies with more body than a low B-flat would ever have.