French horn

The French horn is a special kind of brass instrument. It belongs to the horn family. It is made of long, coiled tubing that ends in a large, flared bell. 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. The musician must control the speed of the air from their lungs and the shape of their lips. They also 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. One type is the double horn, which can switch between two different tunings. Another is the triple horn, which can switch between three.

When playing, it is important 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. Keeping the lips relaxed helps make a good sound.

Name

The name "French horn" started being used in the late 1600s. At that time, French makers were well-known for making hunting horns, and they made the round shape we use today. Because of this, these horns were often called 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 animal horns to make music. Later, they made metal horns that looked like animal horns. These early horns had no valves and were used for hunting. Players changed the pitch with their lips.

In the 1800s, inventors added valves to horns. This made them easier to play in different keys. At first, many musicians liked the older horns without valves. But later, most players started using horns with valves. Today, the most common type is the double horn, which can play in two different keys.

Character

The French horn has a light, bright, and clear sound. It is used in music by composers like Franck, Debussy, and Ravel. It is smaller and sounds different from the German horn, which has a warm, rich, and dark 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 kinds of music, like orchestras, bands, small groups, and jazz. In orchestras, composers pick horns for their special sound to make music that sounds like a hunt or to create special effects. Famous composers such as Telemann, Handel, and Bach wrote music for horns.

Many popular pieces of music feature horns. Gustav Mahler used the horn’s sound in his symphonies. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose friend Joseph Leutgeb was a great horn player, wrote many pieces for the horn. Today, musicians usually play older pieces on modern horns with valves.

Horns are also used in small groups. They are a regular part of wind quintets and brass quintets. The horn can be used alone in groups of horns, called horn choirs, because it can make a 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.

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.

In jazz

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

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

Bass clef old notation vs. new notation

When writing music for the horn using the bass clef, there were two different ways to do it.

Before around 1920, musicians used what we now call "old notation." In this older way, notes were written an octave lower than the 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 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.