What is a musical fanfare?
A musical fanfare is a loud, short piece of music, usually played by trumpets and other brass instruments, sometimes accompanied by percussion, for ceremonial occasions or for dramatic effect.OriginAlthough very old literary sources mention the use of musical fanfare for military or ceremonial purpose, the first surviving composition dates to 14th century French music for hunting horns, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.InstrumentsBrass and percussion instruments lend a militaristic, victorious sound to the music, according to the Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary. Besides trumpets, instruments used to sound a fanfare may include french horns, trombones, tuba, timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals and gong.CharacteristicsThe characteristics we associate today with a fanfare are repeated notes on a single chord of thirds (for example c-e-g) and crisp rhythms.Famous FanfaresAmerican composer Aaron Copland composed the much-loved “Fanfare for the Common Man,” for brass and pe
