Horn/forest horn

The horn is a brass instrument whose reed is wound in a circle. It is characterized by a funnel-shaped mouthpiece with a narrow, conical bore, which ends in a wide bell, also known as a bell, with a diameter of around 30 cm.

History

The history of the horn is closely linked to the use of animal horns, especially the horn sheaths of cattle, sheep and goats. In its original form, the horn was either blown at the cut tip or through lateral openings.

Until the 17th century, horns were made from a wide variety of materials such as snail and mussel shells, tubular bones, animal horns, wood, terracotta and metal. These versatile instruments were used for both ritual and military purposes.

Snail horns were used for ritual purposes in Assyria as early as 2000 to 1500 BC. The Australian didgeridoo has been known since at least 1000 BC. Ancient Mexican priests used snail horns, called tecciztli or quiquiztli, to call for rain. The shofar, a ram’s horn, had a special significance as a sacred instrument for the Israelites.

The use of horns continued, as evidenced by the “first trumpet maker mentioned in writing” (1000 BC). The Etruscans brought curved clay horns to central Italy around 700 BC. Early peoples such as the Egyptians, Indians, Chinese, Hebrews and Greeks made thin-walled metal reed wind instruments. The Romans knew the cornu, tuba and bucina. The Germanic tribes cast luren from bronze, and the bugle evolved from a cattle horn to a signal horn with a metal mouthpiece.

Until the 18th century, horns made of cow horn were used by various professional groups such as night watchmen, firemen and bakers. Instruments with a characteristic of the modern French horn, the circular curved tube, appeared as early as late antiquity, but only experienced a new heyday in the late Middle Ages. Depictions of such “horns” can be found in Worcester and Terlan in Tyrol.

Precursor of the horn

The French horn found its way into art music at the end of the 17th century. Louis XIV employed 14 parforce horn players for court music. Jean-Baptiste Lully soon introduced these instruments to the orchestra. As with the trumpet players, parts and solo concertos were written in a very high clarino register for the horn players in the Baroque period.

However, this instrument, the corno da caccia, was a round-shaped trumpet in terms of construction and sound, which was played with a cup mouthpiece. It was introduced to Germany in 1681 by the Bohemian Count Franz Anton von Sporck. In the following years, horn playing was particularly popular in Bohemia and the first great horn players such as Anton Joseph Hampel, Johann Wenzel Stich, Karl Haudek and Johann Joseph Rudolph came from Bohemia.

Other round instruments were also developed during this period, such as the par force horn, a large-bore instrument for hunting on horseback. The trumpet is very similar to the horn, but is not a predecessor of the horn.

Structure

The horn is essentially an almost circularly wound tube with a tangential leadpipe (for holding the mouthpiece) and bell, the length of which can be altered by valves when playing.

Depending on the dynamics and position of the instrument, the sound of the horn ranges from a warm and full to a powerful and very bright sound. It is quite homogeneous in all registers, with only the lowest notes sounding somewhat duller and heavier. In forte it sounds comparatively less sharp and somewhat quieter than a trumpet due to the indirect sound guide and the funnel mouthpiece. trumpet or trombone .

Within the group of brass instruments, the horn is the most homogeneous instrument, i.e. the instrument with the highest degree of fusion with the other instrument groups in the orchestra.

In addition, it constitutes a separate family of brass instruments with a funnel mouthpiece and thus a sound family of its own. Accordingly, in addition to its leading individual role in classical-romantic orchestral movements, it occupies an intermediate position between the woodwind and brass instruments: Due to its round (in this sense increasingly sine-wave-like) sound character in the high register, it is valued as a predictable, often complementary acoustic factor in the complex spectral events of the woodwind section. For these reasons, horns are traditionally always placed directly below the woodwinds and above the brass in scores.

Sound or sound generation

As with all brass instruments, the sound of a horn is produced by the vibration of the lips on the mouthpiece. The sound of the horn ranges from warm and full to powerful and very bright, depending on the dynamics and position of the instrument. It is quite homogeneous in all registers, with only the lowest notes sounding somewhat duller and heavier.

In forte, it sounds comparatively less sharp and somewhat quieter than a trumpet or trombone due to the indirect sound guide and the funnel mouthpiece. The modern horn has three valves. It consists of an approximately 3 to 4 meter long, slightly tapered tube that is wound in several circles and ends in a wide bell.

Playing technique

The playing technique of the horn or French horn is a complex combination of breathing, lip position and finger movement that enables the musician to produce sounds and vary the pitch.

These basic techniques include

1. Breathing:
   To produce a stable tone, the player must inhale deeply and evenly before blowing the air through the instrument. Controlled breathing is crucial for an even tone.
2. Lip position:
   The lips are placed on the mouthpiece with a certain amount of tension. Higher tension produces higher tones, lower tension produces lower tones.
3. Finger movement:
   The horn has three valves that the player can press or release to change the pitch. By skillfully manipulating these valves, the musician can produce different tones and keys.
4. Articulation:
   Various articulation techniques such as staccato or legato allow the player to vary the sound and create different forms of musical expression.

Advanced techniques such as the use of mutes or playing effects such as glissandi and trills expand the expressive possibilities. Mastering these playing techniques requires time, practice and patience, but with sufficient training the musician can open up a wide range of musical expression.

Instrument of the year 2015

The horn was voted Instrument of the Year 2015 by the regional music councils. This special award recognizes the importance and versatility of the horn and its outstanding role in music.