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On the single F horn, part VIII: My new CD Rescued!, and where to get all the music for free

John Ericson
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Back in 2015 I started posting articles (starting here) that lead up to this one— the new CD is done! With special thanks to Clarke Rigsby (recording and editing), Nathan James (mastering), Deanna Swoboda (producer), Summit Records, Richard Seraphinoff (horn maker), and especially Yi-Wan Liao (pianist).

As stated in the CD notes, Rescued! celebrates the forgotten works of a group of 19th-century hornists and composers. The music included in this recording was composed between roughly 1860 and 1910 and are quality works aimed primarily at low horn players of the late 19th century who still used single F horns. Preparation for the recording was very challenging, but I believe the finished product accurately shows the sound of the F horn — and I completed a type of project I have long wanted to make.  The finished product came out just as I hoped.

The works recorded, in order as presented on the CD, are the following, and all are works that I hope will, with this CD, be “rescued” and find a place on horn recitals again.

ericsoncoverNocturno, Op. 73 – B. Ed. Müller
Sonate, Op. 347 – Fritz Spindler
Melancholie, Op. 68 – B. Ed. Müller
Am Abend, Op. 71 – B. Ed. Müller
Gondellied, Op. 15 – Karl Matys
Lied ohne Worte, Op. 2 – Oscar Franz
Serenade, Op. 20 – Louis Bödecker
Lied ohne Worte – Josef Richter
Resignation, Op. 16 – Charles Eisner
Wiegenlied, Op. 69, No. 1 – B. Ed. Müller
Sonata, Op. 7 – Hermann Eichborn

If most of these works don’t sound familiar, only a couple of them are available and in print … but if you want to try them out yourself, all the music on this CD is actually available as free downloads on IMSLP, using the links below.

Bodecker Serenade
http://imslp.org/wiki/Serenade,_Op.20_(B{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}C3{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}B6decker,_Louis)

Eichborn Sonata
http://imslp.org/wiki/Horn_Sonata,_Op.7_(Eichborn,_Hermann_Ludwig)

Eisner Resignation
http://imslp.org/wiki/2_Pi{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}C3{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}A8ces_de_Salon,_Op.16_(Eisner,_Karl)

Franz Lied
http://imslp.org/wiki/Lied_ohne_Worte,_Op.2_(Franz,_Oscar)

Matys Gondellied
http://imslp.org/wiki/4_Solost{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}C3{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}BCcke,_Op.15_(Matys,_Karl)

Muller Abend
http://imslp.org/wiki/Am_Abend,_Op.71_(M{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}C3{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}BCller,_Bernhard_Eduard)

Muller Melancholie
http://imslp.org/wiki/Melancholie,_Op.68_(M{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}C3{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}BCller,_Bernhard_Eduard)

Muller Nocturno
http://imslp.org/wiki/Nocturno,_Op.73_(M{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}C3{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}BCller,_Bernhard_Eduard)

Muller Wiegenlied
http://imslp.org/wiki/Wiegenlied_und_Romanze,_Op.69_(M{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}C3{2db8d9c9766c2c2a2bd7f7d2bb0fecf7978bb3ad0305fd3817dd032910c4b322}BCller,_Bernhard_Eduard)

Richter Lied
http://imslp.org/wiki/Lied_ohne_Worte_(Richter,_Josef)

Spindler Sonata
http://imslp.org/wiki/Sonata_for_Horn_and_Piano,_Op.347_(Spindler,_Fritz)

19th-horn-portI have the CD, first copies very fresh off the press, for sale directly in my Horn Notes Edition store, buy it and other of my CDs while you are there if you choose to purchase direct, and surely all the standard sources will have it very soon as both physical copies and downloads. Check it out!

To close, it took more than twice as long to get done as I anticipated, and the overall process renewed my respect for all that create solo recordings and fine tuned elements of my playing and teaching. Thank you again to all who helped in any way, I am very happy how it came out, and for much more background info read the series of articles that lead to this finale, starting here.

This is a golden age for French horns

John Ericson
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At the end of my recent article looking at Lechniuk horns I commented that

We kind of forget what a golden age of horn production we live in today, back in the 1970s there were very few people making custom horns and now not only are they plentiful but also the top level factory horns (typically smaller makers) are built essentially at the same level of quality!

When I think back to the 1980s, when I was studying the horn very hard, too many horn players were playing on junk compared to what you can buy new now. We made them work, but really there are quite a variety of high quality instruments available today.

Lechniuk-hornLast year I had an article published in the May issue of The Horn Call, “A 1982 Horn Right Hand Position Survey: Tips, Notes, and More.” The article summarizes the raw data left me from a survey done in 1982 by one of my ASU horn professor predecessors, Ralph Lockwood (more here). One item in that survey was a question that asked what kind of horns and mouthpieces the respondents used. Of the over 100 responses (mostly from professionals [orchestral players and professors], with responses from the USA, Europe, and Asia) the overall result reported in the article was that in 1982

The Conn 8D was number one by far with 40 instruments reported, the nearest competitor being Alexander with 15 double horns reported. Horns are listed below by frequency of ownership.

• Conn 8D
• Alexander double
• Holton
• Geyer
• Conn 28D
• Alexander descant
• Kruspe
• Paxman descant
• Lawson
• Lewis

Today, if you did a survey of a similar group of players would you find this same result? I think not, and I doubt any pro would want to go back to the choices we had in the 1980s either. We are in a golden age.

Video Instructions: Three looks at Beethoven 3

John Ericson
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Horn students are certainly always looking for tips that will give them that edge. Studying excerpts with multiple teachers at an advanced level is advantageous in this regard. As an alternative to live lessons, there are now several free video resources that are highly useful for the advanced horn student, as demonstrated by this look at three different video resources on Beethoven 3.

The most recently posted of these is from Eli Epstein, formerly 2nd horn in the Cleveland Orchestra. His excerpt video series is based on portions of a CD project, Orchestral Excerpts for Low Horn. Several tracks are on YouTube for free, including Beethoven 3. I like his approach to this a lot but know I am a bit biased as I did study with him between my MM and Doctoral studies, and studied this very excerpt with him in depth.

Next up is a bit older video featuring Denise Tryon, 4th horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Her approach is fair to say a bit different than that of Epstein. She certainly opens up some different angles to work on for improvement.

Finally we go to the oldest of the three videos, posted back in 2013. This one, with Stefan Jezierski of the Berlin Philharmonic, is more in depth (much longer!) and looks at more than just the most familiar excerpt. And actually 2nd horn is not the focus, it is on the first horn materials — but certainly they inform your approach to the 2nd horn excerpts, it is all worth learning!

Credit goes to two of my current students for pointing me toward the last two of these videos above.

A brief look at Jerry Lechniuk horns

John Ericson
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I recently had the opportunity to try a custom horn by Jerry Lechniuk and was surprised how little there was online about this maker of the recent past, one I knew of for many years through a couple players I worked with back in Rochester.

Jerry Lechniuk (pronounced “lesh nick”) did not produce a lot of horns, but he is a significant figure as he functions as a bridge between Carl Geyer and Steve Lewis (who worked with Lechniuk before his passing). This quote from the Schilke Loylist website (quoting information from Karl Hill) lays the connection out clearly. Lechniuk was

… an immigrant from the Ukraine. He had spent time in a concentration camp during WWII. Upon his release, Jerry immigrated to Manchester, England. He had a friend who had a repair shop there and with the brass band phenomenon there was plenty of work…. He worked there for 2 years and then emigrated to America. He came to Chicago and began working with Carl Geyer in approximately 1948. He worked for Carl for about 10 years….

Lechniuk-hornBut then Geyer sold his shop and Lechniuk worked elsewhere in the Chicago area. Returning to the quote,

In about 1964 or 1965 he came to work for Renold Schilke, the best I can recall as a repairman of French horns. In the early 70’s Jerry began to develop a French horn that was built around Yamaha parts with Jerry designing the critical tapers. He made 23 double horns, 2 B flat horns and 2 natural horns. He passed away from a massive stroke at the age of 58. There was one unfinished horn on his bench which Steve Lewis finished before leaving Schilke.

In short, he saw a need, had the skills, and started making custom Geyer style horns. The instrument seen here is number 12, and his design choices are evident. Most typically today Geyer style horns are made with a change valve that is smaller and rotates 120 degrees rather than 90. The valves look like they are the Yamaha valves as mentioned in the quote. Another notable detail is that this horn has a separate Bb horn tuning slide (seen in the second photo), a nice feature only rarely applied to Geyer style horns today.

Lechniuk-horn-valvesThe example I was able to try for several extended practice sessions plays very well, it is a professional instrument, certainly well crafted, the intonation is great, and it is all original. There is a thread on Horn People that also speaks to the Jerry horns where it is stated that he made 17 complete double horns (the serial numbers go to 117 — not sure if this number conflicts with the 23 double horns stated in the Hill quote) and then there is a final one, mentioned in the Karl Hill quote, horn “17 ½” and known as the “Jerry Lewis” horn, as it was completed by Steve Lewis.

Lechniuk horns are desirable instruments and rare due to a life cut short. We kind of forget what a golden age of horn production we live in today, back in the 1970s there were very few people making custom horns and now not only are they plentiful but also the top level factory horns (typically smaller makers) are built essentially at the same level of quality! Jerry Lechniuk helped forge the way to where we are now, and I have enjoyed the chance to learn more about him and try one of his unique instruments.

A Few Thoughts about Performance Anxiety

John Ericson
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Performance anxiety is a big topic. A big part of the problem is just being focused on the here and now. This is where I like a number of sports psychology books a lot (such as the classic Inner Game of Tennis), as they are focused how to perform on a high level and don’t get into mumbo jumbo. New ones come out all the time, I have a couple newer ones set for reading this fall.

Talking to musicians and music teachers you will see there is no shortage of advice about performance anxiety. The nature of that advice will vary based on the person giving the advice and their experiences.

Why? It has in part to do with worldview – your overall view of life and your conception of the world. In particular I would note that if your worldview includes a strong belief in a higher power it likely will influence how you look at performance anxiety. For example, in 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV version) we read “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” I love this related quote from the great Philip Farkas in The Art of Musicianship. As I noted in an earlier article (here, where a longer version of the quote may be found), Farkas recalls how as a young professional hornist he had often wondered why he was there, but gradually he had a change of thinking.

Formerly, I had assumed that all the events leading up to my engagement by the Chicago Symphony were completely haphazard–a bit of luck here, a chance encounter there, until I eventually ended up in the Chicago Symphony, as unpredictably as a seashell washes up on a beach. But, with my change in thinking came the realization that perhaps all these apparently haphazard events weren’t haphazard at all. …it wasn’t just a series of unrelated, random events which eventually put me on that stage. It was a series of incredibly interwoven and predestined events which put me there. … and, because I had been led there, certainly I could do the work assigned to me, and failure was not a part of that plan.

Another popular topic that people will react to differently is that of visualization. First experiences with this for me did not resonate at all. The realist in me says that you need to work out your problems so that you are confident in reality with no visualizations of success being necessary! But of course, for some it is a powerful technique, as seen in this quote from the Eastman E-Book I recently saw promoted on Facebook, 5 Steps to Auditioning Success:

Use visualization and mental rehearsal. Creating a positive mental image of an audition can be a powerful preparation technique. Imagine yourself walking into the audition room, greeting those who will hear your audition, and performing each selection in order with musicality and precision. The goal here is to imagine the performance exactly as you would like it to go. The more detailed your mental picture is, the more it can help you to perform at your full potential. Doing this well requires discipline, just like any form of practice. You can also use mental practice time away from your instrument to help avoid overuse injuries, and to make the most of spare moments that would otherwise be wasted, such as waiting in line.

And then there is another big topic I would like to put forward to readers to think about that is rarely addressed, the nature of anxiety itself and how different people experience different types or flavors of anxiety. Something that gives us a window on this is anxiety disorders. There are in general four types of anxiety disorders, and those types of anxiety do impact us to varying degrees as horn players – but differently as individuals, as each of us are different. According to a list found in the WebMD website we have the following:

  • Panic disorder
  • Social anxiety disorder
  • Specific phobias
  • Generalized anxiety disorder

I have come to believe that different people experience different types or at least shades of anxiety in performance. For someone who is more of a shy person their biggest anxieties would likely fall into the category of social anxiety disorder. This can be a plus, as anxiety that might more directly impact performance could potentially be pretty low.

monkey-bananasPersonally, if I am prepared and my chops feel good I simply don’t feel that much anxiety as a performer. I am basically a pretty optimistic person and simply don’t need long visualizations to feel up for performances. But if they help you, that is fine! It just means we are different and experience anxiety in different ways.

In the big picture, as stated at the beginning of this article, I think for a lot of people the challenge is not performance anxiety really, it is actually more about being mentally focused on the here and now to achieve peak performance. Some players are much better than others with this, and, again, sports psychology books can be extremely helpful and practical resources in this regard, don’t underestimate the power of a couple good reads on the topic to change your approach in positive ways. But remember too, that if your underlying world view is very different than that of the book or if advice focuses on dealing with a type of anxiety that you don’t really experience you may need to look to different resources. We all have to develop individual tactics toward lessening performance anxiety and there are such a variety of resources out there, you should be able to find some that resonate for you.

A quick look at Horn Playing: A New Approach

John Ericson
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Recently Alex Manners completed a Doctoral project looking at published horn warmup routines, described in this recent article and accompanied with two podcast episodes (here). The study is very complete but one book inadvertently missed was Horn Playing: A New Approach by John Burden.

Burden 001It is not a new book, having been published back in 1972. It was off the radar as a warmup book for Manners and myself at least in part because the title does not reflect clearly what the content is – that it is mainly a warmup book. And, my copy was loose in my office; it was not with the other warmup books and was only found in recent cleaning.

It is an interesting book and it is still in print. At the time of publication Burden was Professor of Horn at Trinity College of Music, London, and had previously served (for eight years) as Principal Horn of the London Symphony Orchestra.

In the introduction he states that the book “is intended for beginners of all ages.” Good bits of advice are presented in the text, such as the following quote on horns.

It is obviously impossible for me to advise the reader on buying a suitable instrument and I would suggest that it is essential to seek the advice of a professional horn player. There are a number of instruments available which are not particularly good and it is a shame to waste money on poor equipment.

He works through some basics of horn playing as it starts out, but if you just play the printed exercises in order it is certainly a workable warmup routine. For example on page 13, after a series of middle range exercises, he states “it is time to start extending the range,” going first downwards and then upwards using harmonic series studies presented in the book.

As the book flows along he takes time to address various topics. His section on tuning the valve slides is very practical and clear, and it is certainly something you have to consider as you warmup. On the other hand, his description of using the diaphragm to “force air through the lips” is not physiologically accurate.

In any case, this article is to mention this book, it is yet another warm-up resource and one that is not that well known today.

Video Podcasts: Testing horns and mouthpieces with Derek Wright

John Ericson
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Concluding for now the summer series of video podcasts are the topics of testing horns and mouthpieces and developing a new line of mouthpieces with guest Derek Wright.

Podcast-snip-articleOne thing many horn players are looking for and genuinely need is a better mouthpiece. Derek received his DMA as my student at Arizona State, but has been working these past few years for Houghton horns. One thing he had the opportunity to do at Houghton Horns is be instrumental in the development of their new line of mouthpieces, which personally I feel are a great product. In particular the one piece stainless steel models are revolutionary at the price point. As described in their website,

The entire line was designed by Mark Houghton and Derek Wright, and manufactured by Dave Houser. All are made of surgical-grade stainless steel, and come in 3 different models which are available in a variety of configurations. The intent was to create a line of mouthpieces that addressed the needs of real-world players by combining proven design concepts with the latest in technology and materials. Ultimately, the emphasis was on balance, focusing on the versatility and functionality that most modern players require. Between the three models, any horn player–high or low, orchestral or commercial, solo or section–should be capable of finding a Houghton mouthpiece that provides a sense of comfort and identity.

In the first video we also speak about mouthpieces generally, in particular getting to the topics of different inner diameters and stainless steel. The second video is on a closely related topic, that of trying mouthpieces and horns. The conversation includes a number of insights on mistakes people often make when upgrading or looking to upgrade their equipment, valuable tips for horn players of all levels!

And I should mention that for the Houghton H3 mouthpiece I was instrumental in encouraging the design, as explained in this article. Thanks again to Derek Wright for joining us and sharing his perspectives on these two important topics, and for even more video podcasts check here on YouTube.

Video Podcasts: Talking triple horns and mouthpieces with Gabriel Kovach

John Ericson
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Update 2017: These episodes are also now on available as Podcasts on iTunes.

Triple horns and mouthpieces are the topics of two conversations with Gabriel Kovach, Principal Horn of the Phoenix Symphony. Lots of people dream of designing their own horns and mouthpieces, and he has had the opportunity to do so, committing a lot of time and energy into development of new models of both, as we read in his current Phoenix Symphony bio,

Podcast-snip-articleRecently Mr. Kovach has begun the exciting process of developing his own line of French Horn mouthpieces, through master craftsman David Houser at Houser Mouthpieces. And, after the culmination of a 2-year project, a newly designed Triple Horn with master horn builder Jim Patterson at Patterson Hornworks. It is this combination that Mr. Kovach uses on stage and in concert.

Back in 2013 we featured a print interview with Kovach on designing the triple horn with Patterson (here), but our podcast conversation here sheds more light on the thinking behind everything and the actual process.

Following development of that design he worked with Houser to develop a mouthpiece to better compliment the triple horn he had developed. Our conversation ranges out from there into a variety of mouthpiece related topics.

Thanks again to Gabe Kovach for these enlightening conversations, and for even more episodes of the Horn Notes Video Podcast check here on YouTube.

Video Podcasts: Conversations with Peter Iltis, Pedagogy Informed by Science

John Ericson
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UPDATE 2017: These have now also been posted to iTunes; see http://hornnotes.libsyn.com/ for more information on this and other episodes of the Horn Notes Podcast.

Dr. Peter Iltis and MRI horn videos are the topic of three new episodes of the Horn Notes Video Podcast. Iltis in recent years has been principal investigator for some very exciting MRI studies of horn playing, which are now part of a growing series on YouTube, and he is Professor of Kinesiology and Horn at Gordon College.

Podcast-snip-articleAs a first comment, this is a topic that any serious teacher really can’t ignore, MRI videos allow clear insights into technical issues of the horn that have never before been available. For these conversations I had a number of topics I wished to explore which I believe will be of wide interest to horn teachers and players.

Part I of the conversation touches first on the topic of mouthpiece pressure but focuses on the “four points of resistance” proposed by Farkas in The Art of French Horn Playing. According to Farkas there are two points that are more or less fixed:

  • The horn and mouthpiece (taken together) and
  • lip aperture

And two points of resistance that are controllable:

  • the base of the tongue (back where you say K), and
  • the voice box or Larynx

How many did he get right?

Part II continues into the topic of tonguing, first looking at legato and then at tonguing itself of all types. This episode contains information that will certainly be new for many horn teachers and players.

Part III concludes the conversation, looking at the topics of range, jaw position, dynamics, trills, and more.

At the end of the third video Dr. Iltis looks ahead to the future of this project. Presently he is laying groundwork for what is proposed to be called the International MRI Horn Repository Project. They are in the process of securing funding, and many angles for further research are being explored.

As this research goes forward be sure to follow their YouTube channel!

One topic I skipped over for time in this conversation was breathing. Many published descriptions of the process are very flawed. For more on this topic check his videos, but if you prefer to read you are in luck, as his article in the February, 2013 issue of The Horn Call, “The Physiology of Breathing: Setting the Record Straight” provides what you need to know!

As just hinted at, there were a number of topics we did not get to in our conversations, and I look forward to speaking with him again in the future.  Thanks again to Peter Iltis for joining me for this series of podcasts, and be sure to check YouTube for more episodes of the Horn Notes Video Podcast.

Video Podcasts: Conversations with Heidi Lucas about sight reading and horn/tuba/piano trios

John Ericson
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UPDATE 2017: These have now also been posted to iTunes; see http://hornnotes.libsyn.com/ for more information on this and other episodes of the Horn Notes Podcast.

The guest for two new episodes is Dr. Heidi Lucas, horn professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, with conversations on the topics of trios for horn, tuba, and piano and also The Big Book of Sight Reading Duets, which she edited recently for Mountain Peak Music.

Podcast-snip-articleTo the duets first, what she did was edit a horn version of a publication by trombonist David Vining. Besides putting it in good keys for horn, some of the duets have suggested transpositions and use is also made of bass clef to facilitate better reading there too. And there are great tips on sight reading from Vining. All in all it is a nice, innovative publication that can be used to train sight reading in a new way.

For a bit more reading on the topic, refer to this article on 7 tactics to improve sight reading.

The second podcast has to do with trios for horn, tuba, and piano. She has been very active with her trio Eastern Standard, commissioning and recording several new works. The conversation turns to her suggestions of the five best works for this combination and is a great resource for anyone interested in the combination.

As always, these and more video podcasts may be accessed here on YouTube

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