A buccina (Latin: buccina) or bucina (Latin: būcina; Ancient Greek: βυκάνη), called buccin or bucine in English, is a brass instrument used by the ancient Roman army. It is similar to another instrument called the cornu. A person who played the buccina was called a "buccinator" or "bucinator" in Latin (buccinātor, būcinātor).

Design

The instrument was first made as a tube using bronze or shells. Over time, other materials were also used. It was between 3.4 and 3.7 meters (11 to 12 feet) long, with a narrow, tube-like shape. It was played using a cup-shaped mouthpiece. The tube was curved into a wide C shape, with a bar across the curve to support the instrument. The performer held the bar to keep the instrument steady while playing. The bell part of the instrument curved over the player’s head or shoulder.

Usage

The buccina was used to announce night watches, to call soldiers using a special signal called classicum, and to give orders. Frontinus wrote about a Roman general who was surrounded by enemies. He escaped at night using a plan to leave a buccinator (trumpeter) behind. The trumpeter played the watches all night long.

In the last part of his orchestral piece Pini di Roma (Pines of Rome), Respighi asked for six instruments called "Buccine" (Italian plural). He expected them to be played on modern saxhorns or flugelhorns. He also included three in the first movement of his Feste romane (Roman Festivals). However, he noted that these could be played on trumpets instead.

History

The buccina is the ancestor of both the trumpet and the trombone. The German word for "trombone," Posaune, comes from the word Buccina. The buccina was brought back into use during the French Revolution, along with the "tuba curva." Both instruments were first used in the music composed by François Joseph Gossec for the transfer of Voltaire's remains to the Pantheon on July 11, 1791.