King Tut's Trumpets: The 1939 BBC Broadcast and the Risks of Playing Ancient Relics
In April 1939, a remarkable BBC broadcast captivated 150 million listeners with the sounds of Pharaoh Tutankhamun's trumpets, which had remained silent for over three millennia. The performance, held at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, was conducted by British army bandsman James Tappern. Egyptology professor Salima Ikram referred to the recording as an 'auditory and sensory bridge.' Discovered by Howard Carter's team, the trumpets are believed to represent the 12 hours of day and night. Despite facing obstacles like a broken mouthpiece and a power failure, the event was a success. Currently, the trumpets are securely displayed in the Grand Egyptian Museum, which opened in November, following a theft in 2011. Ikram has proposed creating replicas for added safety.
Key facts
- The BBC broadcast of Tutankhamun's trumpets occurred in April 1939 and reached an estimated 150 million listeners.
- James Tappern, a British army bandsman, played the trumpets during the broadcast.
- The trumpets are over 3,000 years old and were found in Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter's team.
- The silver trumpet shattered during rehearsals when a modern mouthpiece was attached, hospitalizing archaeologist Alfred Lucas.
- The trumpets are now housed in the Grand Egyptian Museum, which opened in November, in climate-controlled displays.
- One trumpet was stolen from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo during the 2011 uprising and later recovered at a Cairo Metro station.
- Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, described the recording as an 'auditory and sensory bridge.'
- The trumpets will likely never be played again due to their fragility.
Entities
Artists
- James Tappern
- Salima Ikram
- Alfred Lucas
- Howard Carter
- Christine Finn
- David Hockney
Institutions
- BBC
- Egyptian Museum in Cairo
- American University in Cairo
- Grand Egyptian Museum
- British Museum
Locations
- Cairo
- Egypt
- Giza
- France
- United Kingdom