Bass trumpet

The bass trumpet, is a musical instrument which, as its name suggests, looks and sounds like a large trumpet. It is usually a transposing instrument pitched in B flat, but is sometimes pitched in E flat, D, or C. It is usually played by a trombone player.

It was originally made for Richard Wagner's Ring cycle, where it takes on quite a soloistic role. It also appears in Richard Strauss' Macbeth, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, and there are two to be found in Janacek's Sinfonietta, although they both play the same part, very loudly!

Cy Touff was one of few jazz musicians to play bass trumpet.