An Exploration of Early Brass Horns in Northern and Southern Europe

The Romans have left an indelible mark on history with their inventions that continue to resonate in modern times. From the intricate web of the postal system to the revolutionary realms of printing and newspapers, and the grandeur of their aqueducts, the Roman Empire emerges as a cornerstone of civilization. Their profound influence echoes through the corridors of time, shaping the very fabric of society that we inhabit today. And when the conversation turns to the world of instruments, the symphony of Roman ingenuity strikes a harmonious chord, illustrating once again that their legacy is not confined to the past but resonates vibrantly in our contemporary tapestry.

The Romans created their own type of horn called a cornu, or also known as a cornicine, which was played by a cornicen (Alexandrescu). The instrument is a direct descendant of the ancient Greeks horn, the syrinx, which they believed to be the instrument of the god Pan (Hickmann). The Romans adopted their design, changed the shape, and made it larger while also giving it a variety of new functions. One of the earliest depictions of this horn was in the Zilten Mosaic (pictured below) which depicts the gladiator battles in the Roman Colosseum. This mosaic dates back to 2nd century AD and shows the horn being used to play music while the gladiators would fight. They would often be played with tubicines which are a trumpet like instrument. This was a unique use for the cornu considering that it was also used in battles and wars to signal armies and movements. Of course one could consider the gladiator battles to be their own form of war but they were mainly meant as a form of entertainment for society. The cornicines was never depicted in any mythological sense so if one was to ever see a cornicine being played in a mosaic, carving, or painting it was always meant to be seen as real life events.

These instruments would be played solely by the use of buzzing ones lips since there was no way to use the hand to reach other partials, unlike some other versions of the horn. They were also built in a way that it would make it easy for a soldier to play this horn on the back of a horse but this is true for most horns up until the 19th century. The shape of the cornu also allows for it to produce quite a loud sound but the tone is more polished than some other versions of battle horns. Almost like the Romans intended their use to be for more sophisticated things than just war. This is because the shape allows the air to flow through the horn without any change in direction.

The Romans also had interesting burial customs when it came to musicians' death. Most of the time they would carve the instrument into the tombstone which would signify what that person played (pictured below). This is how historians have been able to confirm historical Roman instruments and their shapes. One could also assume the musicians talent or social rank based off of how detailed or fancy their headstone was (Alexandrescu). This would lead for the cornu to be the most documented horn from the time of ancient Rome.

On the other side of Europe, a different kind of horn was being played. It is hard to say when the Brudevælte Lur was established as a horn but most of the evidence points towards the Bronze Age. It is also hard to say where the Brudevælte Lurs originated. Some sources say northern Germany (Holmes) but other sources say Scandinavia (Hickmann) or Denmark (Anonymous). What historians do know is that their presence has been irrevocably discovered in at least two of those three places.

Possibly the oldest site is in Scandinavia, located half a mile north of Simrishamn on the southeastern coast of Skåne, and is called Bredarör on Kivik. This site is a burial monument that was discovered in 1748 by two farmers who are rumored to have searched the monument for treasures before actually reporting it (Anonymous). Researchers have said that the grave belonged to a chieftain hence its nickname Kungagraven - The King’s Grave. They have also discovered a second chamber next to it that was quite a bit smaller. This one was called Prinskammaren - The Prince’s Chamber. What they discovered in this cave was several Scandinavian rock paintings which primarily depict war scenes (pictured above). Some images are simply runes but there are no direct interpretations of what they mean. However, within these war scenes, they have depicted the Brudevælte Lurs, on ships and in battles, which dates the use of this horn back to 1600 BC.

In 1797 a farmer in the Brudevælte Mose, close to northern Zealand, uncovered 6 well-preserved lurs. A week later he discovered a small bag with 6 brass mouthpieces. Historians believe that this was the first time the horns had seen the light of day since the Bronze Age (Anonymous). This was customary for the lurs to be buried in pairs since this was always how they were played (Hickmann). When soldiers played the lurs, one person would usually hold a long note while the other would play other notes on top of that. These horns were definitely built to cover distance with their sound rather than the musicality the Romans had achieved with the cornu. The lur is shaped to have a circular bell that is placed above the user's head. This allows for the sound to travel over the heads of people, such as an army, and not be swallowed up by bodies. These horns were also seen as sun symbols due to the fact that the shape of the bell resembled that of a sun. If one was to listen to Brudevælte Lurs they might quickly turn the video off or cover their ears. The sound and tone of the lurs is extremely raw and holds no polished quality. The performance of these horns has dwindled down to almost nothing for several reasons. The first, and probably most obvious, is that people don't typically want to listen to these horns for long periods of time. The second is that there are not many people who produce these horns anymore. Some horn makers try to replicate them but out of the 60 Brudevælte Lurs that have been found, only 16 are playable and the 6 discovered in Zealand, Denmark, are some of the best preserved.

Sources:

Alexandrescu, Cristina-Georgeta. “The Iconography of Wind Instruments in Ancient Rome: Cornu, Bucina, Tuba, and Lituus.” Music in Art, vol. 32, no. 1/2, 2007, pp. 33–46. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41818803. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Anonymous. “The Kivik King’s Grave.” Kivik King’s Grave, www.germanicmythology.com/MISCELLANEOUS/KivikGrave.html.

Anonymous. “The Lurs from Brudevælte.” National Museum of Denmark, en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-bronze-age/the-lurs-of-the-bronze-age/the-lurs-from-brudevaelte/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023.

Hickmann, Ellen. "Europe, pre- and proto-historic." Grove Music Online. 2001. Oxford University Press. Date of access 5 Dec. 2023, <https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000009084>

Holmes, Peter, and J. M. Coles. “Prehistoric Brass Instruments.” World Archaeology, vol. 12, no. 3, 1981, pp. 280–86. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/124239. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.