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Musical Instruments

In the long and involved history of musical instruments, copper and bronze have been featured since ancient times. Many examples of an ancient bronze horn, the large Danish lur, have been found in peat bogs, etc., where they were buried up to 2,700 years ago. Some of these instruments, which can still be played, were shown in London a few years ago.

The Romans had copper alloy horns and bronze trumpets called buccinas. The latter were mainly military instruments and had only one or two notes, like most of the other trumpets of that period. The buccina was employed to sound the morning and evening watches, as well as at funerals. It was also sounded on festive occasions to announce the sitting down at the table and the rising (for those who could rise) afterwards.

Another instrument which the Romans developed at least two thousand years ago was the organ. One of these early organs is known to have had ten bronze pipes.