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CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FOR TRUMPET

A trumpet can move from brilliance to lyricism in a single breath — a quality that has always inspired my writing. This page gathers my contemporary music for trumpet across solo works, chamber pieces, and stage music. Performers and teachers will find repertoire that explores the instrument’s color, agility, and expressive depth.

Contemporary Music for Trumpet

Contemporary Music for Trumpet

Modern trumpet repertoire has expanded dramatically over the past century, with composers exploring new colors, extended techniques, and expressive possibilities. My works for trumpet reflect this evolution, offering pieces that range from intimate solos to vibrant chamber settings. The sections below present my contributions to the trumpet repertoire across solo, chamber, and theatrical contexts.

CHAMBER MUSIC WITH TRUMPET


Paper Tigers
for brass trio
9' 30" | trumpet, horn and trombone
 

Gitz & Spitz Suite
for brass quintet
14' | trumpets (2), French horn, trombone, tuba
 

After a Tango
for chamber ensemble
16' | ​recorders (3), clarinet, trumpet, trombone, guitar, percussion, violin, double bass​
 

Desperado Stoplight
for brass sextet
7'30" | 2 trumpets, 2 horns, 2 trombones
 

STAGE MUSIC WITH TRUMPET


Gitz & Spitz 

for actor and chamber ensemble

50' | actor; clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon; horn; trumpet; trombone, tuba and percussion (1) 

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Sheet Music for Trumpet:

About Contemporary Trumpet Repertoire

The trumpet repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries includes a wide range of solo works, sonatas, chamber pieces, and concertos that have shaped the instrument’s modern identity. The list below highlights influential works that are frequently performed, studied, and recorded. This curated selection is offered as a resource for performers and teachers exploring contemporary trumpet music, alongside my own works for the instrument.

Key 20th–21st Century Trumpet Repertoire

Solo Trumpet (Unaccompanied)

  • Otto Ketting: Intrada (1958)

  • Luciano Berio: Sequenza X (1984) — (Trumpet with piano resonance)

  • Fisher Tull: Eight Profiles (1966)

  • Elgar Howarth: Capriccio (1975)

  • Lauren Bernofsky: Fantasia (2000)

  • Elliott Carter: Retracing II (2009)

  • Betsy Jolas: Episode No. 3 (1982) — (Corrected from No. 9) 
     

Trumpet and Piano

  • George Enescu: Légende (1906)

  • Eugène Bozza: Rustiques (1936)

  • Paul Hindemith: Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (1939)

  • Eric Ewazen: Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (1995)

  • James Stephenson: Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (2001)

  • Peter Maxwell Davies: Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (1980) 
     

Trumpet Concertos & Orchestral Works

  • Alexander Arutunian: Trumpet Concerto (1950)

  • Henri Tomasi: Trumpet Concerto (1948)

  • Hanna Kulenty: Trumpet Concerto (2002)

  • Christopher Rouse: Heimdall’s Trumpet (2012)

  • James MacMillan: Epiclesis (1993)

  • Thea Musgrave: Trumpet Concerto (2019)

  • Wynton Marsalis: Trumpet Concerto (2023)
     

Trumpet and Electronics

  • Jonathan Harvey: Ricercare una Melodia (1984)

  • Jonathan Harvey: Other Presences (2008)

  • Karlheinz Stockhausen: Solo (1966) — (Version for trumpet)

  • Karlheinz Stockhausen: Aries (1977) — (Trumpet and tape)

  • Wadada Leo Smith: Pacifica Koral Reef (2021)

  • Elainie Lillios: Veiled Resonance (2009)


Notable Additions

  • Arthur Honegger: Intrada (1947)

  • André Jolivet: Concertino for Trumpet and Piano (1948)

  • Jean Hubeau: Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (1943)

  • Toru Takemitsu: Paths (1994) — Solo trumpet

  • Vincent Persichetti: Parable XIV (1973) — Solo trumpet

  • Hans Werner Henze: Sonatina for Solo Trumpet (1974)

  • Libby Larsen: Fanfare for the Women (1994)

  • HK Gruber: Busking (2007) — Trumpet concerto

  • Peter Maxwell Davies: Sea Eagle (1982) — (Commonly played on horn, but significant in trumpet adaptations)

  • Lior Navok: After a Tango (1995) — (Trumpet chamber work)

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