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Introducing Volume II of the Horn Matters PDF Excerpt E-Book

John Ericson
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Following up on the original volume (more here) is volume II of The Horn Matters PDF Excerpt E-Book. The content of volume I was driven primarily by surveys I did of audition lists for high level undergrad and grad programs for horn, the length overall being intentionally limited to a good one for reading as a PDF on a iPad.

For volume II our focus is the 13 remaining public domain works that are asked very frequently on professional auditions, the additional works chosen based on a survey of ICSOM orchestra audition lists that I did a few years ago (for the complete results see John Ericson, “A New ICSOM Audition List Survey,” The Horn Call 33, no. 1 [October, 2002], 53-55).

  • Cover-vol-2-snipBeethoven: Fidelio Overture
  • Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
  • Berlioz: Queen Mab Scherzo
  • Brahms: Symphony No. 4
  • Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1
  • Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2
  • Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
  • Haydn: Symphony No. 31
  • Mahler: Symphony No. 1
  • Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3
  • Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4
  • Wagner: Das Rheingold Prelude
  • Weber: Der Freischutz Overture

The combination of the excerpts in volume I and II would be what I would hope an undergrad horn performance major knows well by the time they graduate, and certainly any grad student should know cold. You don’t want to be scratching around learning major excerpts for the first time right before an audition! Volume II may be downloaded directly here:

And check the Horn Matters PDF download page for even more useful and practical PDF horn resources:

Volulme III will follow soon (UPDATE: it has been completed), aimed at those additional excerpts that come up less commonly on auditions but often enough to be highly worthy of study by advanced horn students.

Information on Volume I here

Information on Volume III here

Introducing the Horn Matters PDF Excerpt E-Book, Volume I

John Ericson
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While excerpt books are really useful for initial study, if you are serious about learning orchestral works you must have copies of the original orchestral parts. The excerpts presented in the hornexcerpts.org site, derived from actual orchestral parts, are also very useful, but are now no longer offered in printable versions, as many horn students and horn teachers must be noting — they presently print out not nearly so well as in the past, with the IHS instead pushing sales of the printed/bound version of this resource.

The Horn Matters PDF Excerpt E-Book presents something new, the best of both worlds! A concise (17 page) excerpt book based on actual orchestral parts in a PDF E-Book format. It is easily printed and may be viewed on any electronic device (computer, iPad, etc.) — and is offered to the horn world for free.

Inside you will find the most commonly requested excerpts from fifteen of the most commonly requested works in professional and university auditions:

Cover-snipBeethoven – Symphony No.3
Beethoven – Symphony No. 6
Beethoven – Symphony No. 7
Beethoven – Symphony No. 9
Brahms – Symphony No. 1
Brahms – Symphony No. 2
Brahms – Symphony No. 3
Mahler – Symphony No. 5
Mendelssohn – Nocturne from “Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Strauss – Don Juan
Strauss – Don Quixote
Strauss – Ein Heldenleben
Strauss – Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 5
Wagner – Siegfried’s Rhine Journey

However, due to copyright restrictions, it was not possible to include two works that are requested frequently in this free collection: Ravel – Pavan for a Dead Princess and Shostakovich – Symphony No.5. As the latter is an extremely important excerpt for auditions, information on legally obtaining excerpts from Shostakovich 5 may be found in this article.

The new Horn Matters PDF Excerpt E-Book may be downloaded directly here:

The content of this PDF excerpt book was driven primarily by surveys I did of audition lists for high level undergrad and grad programs for horn, the length overall being intentionally limited to a good one for reading as a PDF on a iPad.

I have in mind to do a volume II (UPDATE: more info here!), and already have a list of 13 works for sure for that, the additional works chosen based on a survey of ICSOM orchestra audition lists that I did a few years ago (for the complete results see John Ericson, “A New ICSOM Audition List Survey,” The Horn Call 33, no. 1 [October, 2002], 53-55). The combination of the excerpts in volume I and II would be what I would hope an undergrad performance major knows well by the time they graduate.

Very likely there will also be a volume III as well (UPDATE: more info here!), aimed at the additional excerpts from the public domain that horn students should study — I have an outline for that ready too. And check the Horn Matters PDF download page for even more useful and practical PDF horn resources:

Information on Volume II here

Information on Volume III here

Tiers of Orchestras, levels of Hornists, and the “A” list

John Ericson
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Back in the Orchestra 101 series a few years ago (UPDATE: Now published as Orchestra 101 in print and Kindle versions by Horn Notes Edition, info here) there was an article that touched on the professional levels of horn playing, an article titled “The Money Question.”

In the USA you could say generally that all the ICSOM* orchestras are major orchestras (the players are all full time and perform similar repertoire), but within that group of orchestras there are arguably three tiers, those divisions being driven by pay scales.

At this point I would interject a personal note to preface this commentary. Those that read Horn Matters really closely might have a vague memory of an article on this same general topic in 2014. It is actually the only article I ever pulled off the site in less than a day. As originally presented it touched on a raw nerve with a couple people in particular. This version is a second attempt, as I still think it is an important general topic for students of the horn to consider as they focus on their goals. The quotes I recently found below drew me back to the topic. and I hope they illustrate it more clearly than the illustrations I used back in 2014, with a more positive spin. And see my additional notes at the end.

Players who have won a job in any ICSOM orchestra are great players to be sure,** but in short, in terms of auditions, the top tier groups really expect to hire true “A list” players that can produce magic on their instrument.

The most recent (October, 2015) issue of The Horn Call contains a most interesting article that was drawn from a recent dissertation by Ashley Cumming, “Auditions in North America Today.” It is based on a large survey of current and former orchestral players (including me– my full survey responses are here, in a four part series of articles) and I was drawn to two quotes in the section “On Failed Auditions.” The key paragraph:

William VerMeulen believes that the level of playing is often much lower than the candidates’ assessments of their abilities. “Most of our audition candidates have no clue how good you have to be to play at the level of the major American orchestras. I think that most are really C level or worse candidates …. It’s very easy for them to say sour grapes.” Richard King knows for a top-level orchestra to stay at its peak game, they have to look beyond capability. “I hear grumbling, ‘Oh they don’t know what they’re looking for.’ Yeah, you do. You know when you hear a winner. And often you don’t have a runner up, because to find two people as qualified as you’d like, as magical — that’s pretty rare. We’re not dealing with who can do the job; a lot of people can do the job, certainly. We’re hoping for some absolute magic.”

And with that I think they get at defining what it is to actually be an A-list horn player. There is something special about any true A-list musician, something far beyond perfect accuracy, intonation, and rhythm.

So turning a corner, how do you become an A-list player with those special, unique qualities? Especially if you are a student? How do you obtain the X-factor?

One thing to remember is that those A-list players did not get there by accident. It was not just dumb luck and it was not just talent. It helps a lot to have a great ear, and of course some good decisions were made along the way. They got a good horn, studied with effective teachers, etc. But above all they worked hard, making the most of all the musical experiences they could have wherever they were.

My final note of encouragement to those that aspire to the A-list is to expand on that final point: work hard and make the most of the opportunities you have in front of you and around you. I know I personally have tried to do this throughout my career (I started out college at a small school as a music business major! Hard work trumps all), and this general attitude is something we are certainly happy to encourage and celebrate here at Horn Matters.

*ICSOM = International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians. Website here.

**Of course I may come across as biased in placing a tier level here, as former Third Horn of The Nashville Symphony, an ICSOM orchestra. I would add that any hornist that has won a full time university faculty position in the United States also has clearly proven themselves in the very rigorous process of their hire to be a very solid, professional level player, as have also the members of the many military ensembles and orchestras below the level to have their members affiliated with ICSOM. “If they pay you to play, horn you are a professional!” 

Hornmasters extra: Pottag on tonguing in 1947, and an inside look on video

John Ericson
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Max Pottag (1876-1970) certainly qualifies as a master hornist, performing for 40 seasons with the Chicago Symphony and having published pedagogical materials still in use today (likely the most widely used being the Preparatory Melodies to Solo Work).

The perspective he presented on tonguing is worth a closer look. In The Instrumentalist in their May-June, 1947 issue Pottag wrote that

Contrary to the opinion of many I believe it is better to place the tip of the tongue between the teeth instead of against them when starting a tone. The tongue is pulled back quickly as when saying the syllable “Ta” or “Tu,” and yet the action is similar to that when spitting away an imaginary piece of thread that has lodged on the lips. The between-the-lips attack produces a surer start of the tone than the back-of-the-teeth attack, especially is this true in the upper register of the instrument.

With the comment about with the back of the teeth attack he is going against the type of approach promoted by Farkas in his writings, mirroring instead the teaching of his teacher Friedrich Gumpert. A fellow Gumpert student, Anton Horner, presented the same approach as well in his few writings on the topic (more information in this article).

MRI-snipHis statements are good ones to use to examine in comparison to the complete MRI Sarah Willis video or the more focused one that is only of Beethoven 3, both of which are below. What is the motion of the tongue? Is it “pulled back quickly” from between the teeth or does the tone start on the “back-of-the-teeth?” Is it sort of a combination of both, depending on the range or musical style? The videos give much to ponder. (Image source: YouTube).

MRI Beethoven 3:

Complete MRI:

On the single F horn, part VI: First edits done, and what is on the new CD anyway?

John Ericson
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When I was starting this series (here) I was really just beginning to firm up ideas toward this recording project, having had a long interest in doing a period instrument recording. Now, with the first edits done, I am feeling really excited about where it is and about the repertoire chosen.

So what is on the CD? The music is all public domain and on IMSLP (composed between roughly 1860 and 1910), and I think all worth a closer look by the horn players of today. Recorded on the CD, in alphabetical order:

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

These were the best works out of a larger group I considered. The works that did not make the cut, for those very curious, were:

Zwei Phantasiestücke, Op. 35 – Louis Bödecker
Fantasiestücke, Op. 3 – Carl Eschmann
Andante, Op. 14 – G. Goltermann, arr. Fr. Gumbert
Fantasie, Op. 117 – Carl Haslinger
Cavatina, Op. 85, No. 3 – J. Raff, arr. Fr. Gumbert
Fantasie Heroique, Op. 25 – Heinrich Gottwald
Romanze – Arnold Krug
Lied ohne Worte, Op. 109 – Felix Mendelssohn, arr. Franz
Andante, religioso, Op. 74 – B. Ed. Mülller
Fantasie (on themes of Weber), Op. 66 – B. Ed. Mülller
Gebet, Op. 65a – B. Ed. Mülller
Romanze, Op. 182, No. 1 – J. Raff
Stimmung, Op. 11, No. 1 – Alfred Rasmussen
Cavatine aus Der Freischütz – C. M. v. Weber, arr. Oscar Franz

Last week I spoke to the horn studio at ASU about the project, and one sentence and thought that struck me is worth sharing to close this segment of the series. What I told the studio about the F horn I used was more or less this –

The intonation on this horn is terrible! I bet 1/3 of the notes are out of tune. I had to put arrows all over the place in the music.

IMG_0265I got the horn out again after the studio class and really sat down to play it with a tuner and my goodness it is really out of tune in comparison to a modern double horn. BUT: the CD is not! Four months of hard practice, I had the horn pretty figured out and was feeling pretty used to it. The CD has very good intonation, but there is one note that was quite sharp that at times you can tell I am covering the bell a good bit more than normal to bring it down. I think it in the end adds a little charm and color to the already colorful sound if a period single F horn. Buy the CD and you can decide for yourself!

It should be close to being released in about a month, be checking back for more.

UPDATE: Clearly I am an optimist!

Continue reading series on the F Horn CD project

Reinecke, Gumpert, Kruspe, and more on the 19th century horn

John Ericson
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Recently received was a question from Pierre-Antoine Tremblay (website here). He had very recently recorded Reinecke’s 1906 Trio for horn, clarinet and piano on period instruments. Before turning to the questions, his video of the first movement is below. Hit play, check it out! The period horn offers a unique sound (video direct link here).

This work is one that I would actually noodle around on when practicing for my 19th century horn project (described in a series of articles starting here). It seems to me very suited to being played on a single F horn — it feels great on the period valved horn. Pierre-Antonie asked several things in his note, one being about a possible Gumpert-Reinecke connection and another being possible use of Kruspe horns by Gumpert. He had noted “the obvious [connection,] that they were colleagues both at the Gewandhausorchester and at the Conservatory.” Certainly Reinecke could have been thinking of Gumpert, but aside from that obvious connection I don’t know that the trio is associated with any horn player, he worked with many, and Gumpert had been retired from performing for several years by 1906. Theoretically for example Reinecke could have been thinking of B. Ed. Müller, who was second horn in the Gewandhaus Orchestra and is best remembered today for his etudes, or principal hornist Arno Rudolph. As to horns and Gumpert, I can only offer what his student Anton Horner stated in 1956:

[Gumpert] had no use for the B-flat horn which was coming into use in Germany at that time; but he did advocate changing crooks or slides to G, A, and B-flat horn for some compositions. For instance, he played the Siegfried solo on the B-flat horn, and the slow movement of the Second Beethoven Symphony on the A crook; also played the Mendelssohn Nocturne on an E crook. The old German conductors like Reinecke in Leipzig, Bühlow [sic] in Berlin, and others would not tolerate the thin, harsh quality of the B[flat] horn, unless the composers called for that quality in their compositions, when they wrote for the G, A-flat, A, and B-flat horn. Of course, we, of today, think these restrictions are splitting hairs, but that was the opinion that prevailed in those days. I know that in many orchestras, when there were auditions for vacant positions, B[flat] horn players were not even considered. But eventually, B[flat] horn specialists were considered, when such excellent players as Preusse in Frankfurt proved and demonstrated its advantages [Horner, 91].

That quote is from a longer article that may be read here. That his nephew was working with Kruspe to develop horn designs is a decent indication that Gumpert might also have been a Kruspe player, but I don’t have any further evidence, the question is so far as I know open.

And also note: Reinecke is cited by Horner as a being among “old German conductors” who “would not tolerate the thin, harsh quality” of the B-flat horn, who preferred the F horn. Again, it really seems to be the instrument he has in mind for the his chamber music works, this photo showing the instrument used by Tremblay.

Check out the video above and the following movements, it is very well done and really gives the flavor of what the F horn sounds like. The sound is not quite what you would imagine, there is a bit of a wilder quality to the sound in the upper register that adds something really. Once you adjust to it in fact a double or triple horn does sound duller. I believe this same tonal difference will come across in my recording project as well, which is in editing at this time. More on that soon.

And to close, a special bonus recording, which I was pointed to by reader Jay Anderson after my recent article “Will the real B. Ed. Müller please stand up?” (see the comments there). Recorded in 1904, it includes two of the Leipzig players I mentioned above, B. Ed. Müller and Arno Rudolph, second and first horn respectively with the celebrated horn quartet of the Gewandhaus Orchestra. Oh but to hear this group live, but the old recording gives a good hint of their sound and it is so interesting as well to realize that you are hearing the playing of one of the writers of classic horn etude materials! There is a missed note at 1:51 (probably the third horn), and the general level of playing also reminds us that things have come a long way for the horn in the last 100 years. (Video direct link here).

Photo source: YouTube

On the single F horn, part V: Will the real B. Ed. Müller please stand up?

John Ericson
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Working on notes for this CD project I realized that the dates given in IMSLP for B. Ed. Müller can’t possibly be correct. Their Müller lived from 1824-1883 and was a music director and composer in Meiningen. But the works I recorded were published well after his death and don’t fit with what I would think of being from the pen of someone of his generation, not to mention the very specific dedications as well. I have recorded the following of his works:

  • Melancholie, Op. 68, dedicated to “Herrn B. Hoyer, Königl. Bayr. Kammervirtuos, Professor am Konservatorium in München.” Copyright 1906
  • Wiegenlied, Op. 69, No. 1, dedicated to “Seinem lieben Freunde und Collegen Herrn Arno Rudolph, erster Hornist der Theater und Gewandhauskapelle in Leipzig.” Copyright 1906
  • Am Abend, Op. 71, dedicated to “Seinem lieben Freunde F. Rost, Kammermusiker und Lehrer am Großherzoglichen Conservatorium in Weimar.” Copyright 1910
  • Nocturno, Op. 73. Copyright 1910

I highly recommend these pieces, by the way, and they all are on IMSLP. If you are at all familiar with his etudes, Op. 64, these works are nothing at all like them. The brief Nocturno is haunting and dark, Am Abend is like a miniature tone poem, very tuneful, I love these pieces. They will be featured on the CD.

What is especially striking is they are totally idiomatic for the F horn and for a second horn player in particular; this fits perfectly with the scant biographical data I did find on the real B. Ed. Müller. In Pizka, Hornisten-Lexikon there is a listing for Bernhard Eduard Müller, born on June 2, 1842, and listed as being second hornist in the Gewandhaus Orchestra. There is no death date given, but we can presume he was still alive in the early years of the 20th century when these works were published.

muller-snipThe cover of Melancholie offers this info as well, that he was a member of the “Theater – und Gewandhaus – Capelle in Leipzig.” If any readers have leads on more information, especially his death dates, I would love to hear from you.

Looping back to his etudes briefly, the old Sansone edition (taken over by Southern) gives his name as B. Eduard Müller, and the probably more familiar International/Chambers edition gives his name as B. E. Mueller. I am trying to practice them a bit now and while good, challenging etudes, again his works for horn and piano are nothing at all like the etudes! These are very attractive pieces of music and I look forward to presenting them to the horn world in their first recorded versions soon.

Very soon I will be in the studio editing the takes, more on the project as it progresses forward further.

UPDATE: See the comments, he was second hornist of the Gewandhaus orchestra from 1876-1920 according to the bio at http://www.french-horn.net/index.php/biographien/90-bernhard-eduard-mueller.html. And, thanks to this article getting the ball rolling, the dates for the horn playing Müller have been updated on IMSLP.

Continue reading F Horn recording series

Brief reviews: Recent recordings by Anneke Scott, natural and piston horns

John Ericson
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Today the final of this series of brief reviews is of not one but two new CDs featuring Anneke Scott performing a wide variety of music.

Getting it out right away, I love these recordings and basically everything about them. The performances are excellent, production and packaging excellent, and that they are mostly recordings of works that are pretty much not known today that deserve to be better known is also outstanding.

First up is Mozart: Stolen Beauties, chamber music by Mozart, Punto, and Michael Haydn. This recording is simply stunning. If you like natural horn and the music of Mozart at all you simply must obtain this CD.

I really love this CD. I may connect to it so much as I am familiar with some of the music and appreciate how the Mozart themes and works were reworked by musicians back in the day. I was especially taken by the Mozart arrangement by Barham Livius (1787-1865) for pianoforte, horn, viola, and cello, performed on the early valved horn. This work is for an unusual combination but extremely attractive — and also, as I am working on a recording project of my own involving early valved horn (series of articles starts here), I recognize and appreciate the challenges. This was no simple recording to make.

Speaking to challenges, Scott meets them all beautifully. Wonderful intonation, phrasing, great music making. Besides the unusual Mozart arrangements and little known works, the CD concludes with the Mozart Quintet K. 407. A wonderful performance by Scott and the period-instrument ensemble Ironwood.

The other CD is titled Songs of Love, War, and Melancholy, the operatic fantasias of Jacques-François Gallay. Gallay is best known to horn players today for his etudes and unmeasured preludes, but he composed and arranged a great deal of music for a variety of ensembles. This recording features full fantasias on themes of operas (mostly Donizetti and Bellini) performed by horn and piano, and also three shorter numbers with soprano. A great recording that will be perfect for anyone to reference who is thinking of performing one of these fantasias today, but also just great background listening music as well.

The most familiar sounding number to me was the first selection from L’Elisir d’amore but I would be lying if I said I really recognized anything in this CD. A lot of melodies sounded familiar of course, but mostly falsely so, more like generic opera melodies — but that said, this music should be performed more, I believe it will be effective recital fare.

Horn players with an interest in opera or Gallay certainly will want to obtain this CD. The Amazon listing for Songs of Love, War, and Melancholy is here. Curiously, Mozart: Stolen Beauties does not seem as of this writing to be on Amazon, but a search will quickly lead you to other sources for purchase.

Review: Saxophone palm key risers as finger pads for horn

John Ericson
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Back almost five years ago I posted a brief review of a product called “finger pads.” These are sold as an alternate to soldering dimes on the valve paddles (more here) when they can’t be adjusted into a comfortable position.

Those finger pads, truth be known, were/are probably clarinet thumb rest pads but sold in sets of three for use by horn players. The negatives for me after extended use of these was that they were not quite tall enough and they tended to work off the end of the valve paddle.

IMGP5446Then, just a few weeks ago, I picked up a tip from the Horn People group that there was another woodwind product to try as finger pads for horn; Saxophone palm key risers. They come in sets of three and can be obtained very inexpensively. So I bought a set.

When they arrived I was a little worried they would not fit on the valve paddles, but I did manage to carefully push them on. They are a tight fit, but remember that the clarinet thumb rests tend to work off? These won’t work off as I play for sure. Someday the rubber material may fail, but hopefully they will last for quite some time.

IMGP5467To the second photo, the other big plus with these are they are taller than the height I was getting with the thumb rests as finger pads. The height is roughly that of three dimes and on this horn certainly I need that much extra height with my big hands. These will be staying on this horn.

I should note as well that the pads extend the valves to a point as well. If you need to change the valve paddle position, and have an instrument such as this one with mechanical linkage valves that can’t be adjusted easily, this is a product certainly worth trying, especially if it would take stacks of dimes to adjust the height properly for your hands.

 

PDF: Low Horn Kopprasch, edited by Josef Schantl

John Ericson
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These PDF, public domain low horn etudes are extracted from Volume IV the Große theortisch-praktische Horn-Schule of Josef Schantl (1842-1902).

Originally published in 1904, the best known portion today is Volume III, which was reprinted in 1941 in abridged form as Preparatory Melodies to Solo Work, edited by Max P. Pottag. The primary focus of Volume IV of the Horn-Schule is transposition, and included for purposes of that study is a rather heavily edited edition of 51 of the Op. 6 etudes and 13 of the Op. 5 etudes of Kopprasch. [The Op. 6 Kopprasch Etudes are the ones we all know and love. Those were written for low horn; the Op. 5 etudes are similar, but set in a higher range for high horn study.]

Especially interesting among the etudes presented by Schantl are these twelve in lower keys than in the standard edition we are all familiar with. In my PDF edition they are unmodified, and the numbers are those given by Schantl. The new key and the many different articulations opens up these etudes in a new way for the modern horn student. Compared to the standard edition the etudes are as follows:

33 (25)Low-Horn-Kopprasch
34 (9)
36 (12)
37 (53) [Note: Transposed up or down, depending on measure]
38 (19)
39 (43)
40 (21)
42 (28)
44 (36)
45 (27)
47 (50)
81 (55)

The etudes, very useful for low horn study, may be downloaded from our PDF page or directly at the link below:

Josef Schantl is not that well known today, but was a major teacher and player of the late nineteenth century. He was a Principal Horn of the Imperial and Royal Court Opera and the Vienna Philharmonic, and has been credited with founding the Vienna Waldhornverein. Among many significant performances he performed on the premieres of Brahms second and third Symphonies and also the third and eighth Symphonies of Anton Bruckner.

With this set of etudes I will likely be closing out this series of free etude and duet PDF downloads. I have in the process of making these learned what I needed to toward laying out publications in a new program; be watching instead for several new PDF publications from Horn Notes Edition to come.

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