In the National Coach Museum in Lisbon, a precious collection of trumpets, sheet music, attire, and props intended for the solemn processions of the Portuguese Royal Band (occasionally referred to as “Charamela Real”) is housed. After the 1755 earthquake, King D. José enriched the Royal Band with new instruments, as evidenced by the collection of 20 trumpets engraved with the royal arms and the inscription "D. Joseph I D. G. Port. ET. Al. REX 1761," a date coinciding with the birth of the Prince of Beira, D. José, the future heir of Queen Maria I. Additionally, two trumpets bear the inscription "D. Maria I et Petrus III Port. Et Alg. Reges 1785," believed to have been used during the journey to Vila Viçosa on the occasion of the "exchange of princesses." This collection represents the most extensive assortment of silver trumpets globally and has benefited from the pioneering studies of Edward Tarr and several recordings made using the instruments.
The Coach Museum also houses a collection of music from this period, written for processions. It comprises 54 pieces ("Sonatas") with their corresponding parts in individual booklets, organized into four groups ("choirs") of 6 trumpets and timpani. The final Sonata is for four "choirs," thus requiring 28 performers. It can be inferred from this that the usual ensemble had 24 trumpets and 4 timpani, as stipulated by King John V when he revived the group in the image of Louis XIV's Garde du Corps.