French horn

The French horn is a special kind of brass instrument that belongs to the horn family. It is made of long, coiled tubing that ends in a large, flared bell, and it uses rotary valves to change notes. A person who plays the French horn is called a horn player or a hornist.

Playing the French horn needs skill because the musician must control the speed of the air from their lungs, the shape of their lips, and use the valves to change the pitch. The horn can be tuned to different notes by using valves that send the air through extra tubing. There are different types of horns, like the double horn, which can switch between two different tunings, and the triple horn, which can switch between three.

One important part of playing the French horn is how the musician places the mouthpiece on their lips. Usually, it rests about two-thirds on the upper lip and one-third on the lower lip. Too much pressure on the lips can make the sound harsh and tire the player out, so horn players try to keep their lips relaxed while playing.

Name

The name "French horn" started being used in the late 1600s. Back then, French makers were famous for making hunting horns, and they created the round shape we know today. Because of this, these horns were often called their French names, like trompe de chasse or cor de chasse, meaning "trumpet of hunt" or "horn of hunt."

Later, German makers invented crooks to help these horns play in different keys. This led people to use "French" and "German" to tell apart the simple hunting horn from the newer horn with crooks.

Today, "French horn" is sometimes used to talk about a special type of horn. This kind of horn has three piston valves and a narrow tube, and it keeps some older features like a narrow bell-throat. The International Horn Society suggests just calling the instrument a horn.

History

Main article: Horn (instrument)

Long ago, people used the actual horns of animals to make music. Later, they began making metal horns that looked like these natural ones. These early horns had no valves and were used for hunting. Players changed the pitch just by using their lips.

In the 1800s, inventors added valves to horns, making them easier to play in different keys. At first, many musicians preferred the older, valve-less horns, but later, most players began using horns with valves. Today, the most common type is the double horn, which can play in two different keys.

Character

The German horn has a warm, rich, and dark sound. It sounds different from the French horn, which is used in music by composers like Franck, Debussy, and Ravel. The French horn is smaller and has a light, brilliant, and open tone.

Types

Horns come in different types, such as single, double, compensating double, and triple horns. They can also have detachable bells for easier transport.

Single horn

Single horns have one set of tubes connected to the valves. They are simple to use and lighter in weight. Usually, they are in the keys of F or B♭. Single horns are often used by students because they are cheaper and lighter than double horns. Some single horns are still used in special performances.

Double horn

Double horns combine two instruments in one: an F horn and a B♭ horn. By using a fourth valve, a player can switch between the deeper, warmer tones of the F horn and the higher, brighter tones of the B♭ horn. This makes it easier to play accurately across a wider range of notes.

Compensating double horn

Compensating double horns are lighter than full double horns. They have full-length slides for the B♭ side and shorter slides for the F side, which can be added to the B♭ slides when needed.

Triple horn

Triple horns add a third "side" to the F and B♭ horns, usually in high F or E♭. This helps players perform more securely in the high register. However, triple horns are heavier, more expensive, and can be tiring to play. Despite these challenges, they are becoming more popular in professional orchestras.

Detachable bell

To make horns easier to carry, especially in tight spaces like on planes, some horns have detachable bells. This allows for smaller, more manageable cases.

Related horns

Main article: Horn (instrument)

The history of horns includes many types like the natural horn, Vienna horn, mellophone, marching horn, and Wagner tuba.

Natural horn

Main article: Natural horn

The natural horn is the oldest type of horn. It comes from hunting horns and is played by controlling the air speed, the way the lips are shaped, and moving the right hand in and out of the bell. Today, it is mostly used for special music from the past. Players can change the notes by partly covering the bell with their hand, but this also changes the sound. Players can choose different keys by using crooks to change the length of the tubing.

French horn

The French horn has a narrow tube and three piston valves. It keeps the narrow bell shape from older horns and often has a special third valve that raises the pitch by a whole tone.

Vienna horn

Main article: Vienna horn

The Vienna horn is used mainly in Vienna, Austria. Instead of regular valves, it uses a special pumpenvalve, which is a double-piston inside the valve slides. It is lighter and closer in size to the natural horn. Vienna horn players usually use an F crook, and the horn has a warmer, softer sound. It can glide smoothly between notes, but players need to be very careful to keep the notes in tune.

Mellophone

Main article: Mellophone

There are two kinds of mellophones. The first is shaped like a horn and has piston valves, often in the key of F. It was made less often in the middle of the 20th century and is rarely seen today.

The second type is used in modern brass and marching bands. It is shaped like a flugelhorn, with piston valves played with the right hand and a forward-pointing bell. These are good for marching because they are stable, project well, and are lighter. They are often used as the middle voice in drum and bugle corps. They can be played in place of horns in brass and marching bands, but horn players may find them tricky to use because of the different mouthpiece and hand position.

Marching horn

The marching horn looks similar to the mellophone but is pitched in B♭, like the B♭ side of a double horn. It is also available in F alto. It is used in marching bands so the sound faces forward. Many college marching bands and drum corps use mellophones instead, which balance better with other brass instruments and need less special training for trumpeters.

Wagner tuba

Main article: Wagner tuba

The Wagner tuba is a rare brass instrument made for Richard Wagner. It has a larger bell throat and a vertical bell, but it plays more like a horn because of its narrow bore. It uses a horn mouthpiece and can be played in a range similar to the horn, from low F♯ to high C. Wagner thought of the regular horn as a woodwind and placed it in the woodwind group in his orchestral scores.

Repertoire

See also: List of compositions for horn

Horns are used in many types of music, including orchestra performances, concert bands, small groups, and jazz. In orchestras, composers often choose horns for their special sound to create special effects. For example, Leopold Mozart used horns to make music that sounded like a hunt, in his Jagdsinfonie. Famous composers like Telemann, Handel, and Bach also wrote music for horns.

Many well-loved pieces of music feature horns. Gustav Mahler used the horn’s special sound in his symphonies. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose friend Joseph Leutgeb was a great horn player, wrote many pieces for the horn, including concertos and solo works. Today, musicians usually play older pieces written for natural horns on modern horns with valves.

Horns are also used in small group music. They are a regular part of wind quintets and brass quintets. The horn can also be used alone in groups of horns, called horn choirs, because of its wide range of sounds.

Orchestral and concert band horns

Classical orchestras usually have at least two players who play the French horn. The first horn plays high notes, and the second horn plays low notes. Starting with composers like Beethoven in the early 1800s, many pieces used four horns. The first and second horns would play together, with the first taking the high notes and the second the low ones. The third and fourth horns would also play together in a similar way.

In modern music, the pattern is similar, with the first and third horns playing high notes and the second and fourth horns playing low notes. This helps the musicians play more easily and makes it simpler for composers to write music for horns. For instance, if a piece is in the key of C minor, the first and second horns might play in C, while the third and fourth horns play in E♭ to add more notes.

In recent years, many orchestras have added an assistant horn player. This person helps the main first horn player during loud parts, steps in for solos, or takes over when the main player needs a rest. The assistant matches the main player's style perfectly to keep the music smooth.

In jazz

See also: Category:Jazz horn players and French horn in jazz

The French horn was not often used in jazz music at first. However, some important musicians started using it in their jazz pieces. For example, composer and arranger Gil Evans began including the French horn in the 1940s, first in groups led by Claude Thornhill, and later with the famous cool jazz group led by trumpeter Miles Davis. Other musicians like Don Ellis, who played trumpet in Stan Kenton's band, also used the French horn in their music. Some famous jazz songs featuring the French horn include "Strawberry Soup" from the album Tears of Joy. Other notable players of the French horn in jazz include Julius Watkins, Willie Ruff, John Graas, David Amram, John Clark, Vincent Chancey, Giovanni Hoffer, Arkady Shilkloper, Adam Unsworth, and Tom Varner.

Bass clef old notation vs. new notation

When writing music for the horn using the bass clef, there used to be two different ways to do it. Before around 1920, musicians often used what we now call "old notation." In this older way, notes were written an octave lower than the actual pitch they sounded.

But by the early 1900s, a new way of writing became common. This "new notation" writes the notes an octave higher, just like they do in the treble clef.

Usually, music sheets don’t tell you which way they’re written, but horn players have a trick to figure it out.

Notable horn players

See also: List of horn players

Many talented musicians have played the French horn. Hermann Baumann won a big music competition in 1964 and played in famous orchestras. Radek Baborák, from the Czech Republic, also won important contests and even a Grammy Award. Dennis Brain played with great conductors and made famous recordings of Mozart’s horn music.

Other notable players include John Cerminaro, who played in several top orchestras, and Stefan Dohr, who is currently the main horn player for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. There are many more skilled horn players who have made beautiful music in orchestras around the world.