UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI DATE: 27 February 2006 I, , Kristen Michele Johns hereby submit this as part of the requirements for the degree of: Doctor of Musical Arts in: Performance Studies It is entitled: Original Compositions for Horn and Organ: Performance Problems Unique to the Medium with Discussion of Selected Solutions through Analysis of Representative Works Approved by: Chair, Professor Randy Gardner Dr. Roberta Gary Dr. Edward Nowacki Original Compositions for Horn and Organ: Performance Problems Unique to the Medium with Discussion of Selected Solutions through Analysis of Representative Works A document submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the Performance Studies Division of the College-Conservatory of Music 2006 by Kristen Michele Johns B.M. The University of Michigan, 1988 M.M. University of Cincinnati, 1992 Committee Chair: Professor Randy Gardner Abstract The repertoire for horn and organ presents certain performance issues that are significant in that they must be resolved each time a new pipe organ, performance space, or composition is encountered. These performance issues are unique to this medium and are presented and discussed in this paper. Issues include parameters associated with 1) the performance space, 2) the tuning system or temperament of the pipe organ, and 3) ensemble issues. A discussion of the selected solutions to the problems associated with specific performance conditions and a performer’s guide to this repertoire complete the paper. Copyright © 2006 by Kristen Michele Johns All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deep gratitude to the following people for their expertise, guidance, encouragement and support throughout this entire process: Dr. Paul Austin, Dr. Cecilia Barnbaum, Judy Bridges, Alyssa Coffey, Professor Randy Gardner, Dr. Roberta Gary, Joseph Gill, Dr. Judith Grable, Dr. Kenneth Kirk, Dr. Edward Nowacki, and Dr. Donovan Stokes. I would also like to extend a special thank you to my parents, Tom and Michele Johns, and to Karin Addis who were unfailingly patient and available and always believed in me. 1 Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Historical Context: Discussion of the Evolution of Repertoire for Horn and Organ 2 Chapter 1 Presentation of Collected Data Relevant to Performance Issues Unique to the Medium of Horn and Organ 4 Chapter 2 Analysis of Selected Works with Emphasis on Performance Problems and Their Solutions 16 Conclusion General Guidelines for Performers of the Horn and Organ Repertoire 31 Appendix Annotated Bibliography Introduction to Horn Grade Level Rating 34 Original Works for Horn and Organ 36 Published Scores of Original Works for Horn and Organ 50 Bibliography 54 2 Introduction Historical Context: Discussion of the Evolution of Repertoire for Horn and Organ Original repertoire for horn and organ is infrequently performed and relatively unknown to horn players. There are several possible reasons for this. First, the repertoire for this medium is relatively new, with a majority of the seventy known compositions having been composed since 1970. This is interesting to note, since the history of both instruments dates back several centuries. Also, when a horn player is considering repertoire for a recital, especially a degree recital, the standard repertoire for horn and piano or chamber music is more likely to be considered first. Finally, in some regions there are simply no players who can perform this repertoire. However, interest in this genre may be growing, as indicated by two recent trends. First, several prominent hornists (Martin Hackleman, Peter Damm, Ifor James, Sören Hermansson, Paul Austin, Steven Gross, Ralph Lockwood, Jens Juul, Winnfried Pummer) have recorded selections from this repertoire. Second, three commissions of works for horn and organ have recently been completed: Grand Rapids horn and organ duo Paul Austin and Greg Crowell commissioned James Woodman’s Chamber Sonata II in 1996 and Robert Shechtman’s Ancestral Songs in 1999, and organist Joan Lippincott commissioned Daniel Pinkham’s Salutation of Gabriel in 2000. 3 Research for this paper has been drawn from three sources: performance, interviews, and analysis of scores. The author has gained performance experience as a member of the Prism Duo, a horn and organ duo formed with Dr. Michele Johns, organ faculty, The University of Michigan. Venues where this ensemble has performed include: University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) (2001); Bruton Parish Church, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, (2000); Las Cruces, New Mexico, Community Concert Association, Concert Series (1997); Dublin Cathedral Concert Series, Dublin, Ireland, (1995); Salisbury Cathedral Concert Series, Salisbury, England, (1995); Augustinian Church, 700th Anniversary, Drogheda, Ireland, (1995); The University of Michigan 34th Annual Conference on Organ Music, First Congregational Church, Ann Arbor, Michigan, (1994). Further research was drawn from interviews with composers and performers. Results of the interviews showed similar experiences to the authors' in performing this repertoire. Composers for this medium who were interviewed include Dr. Randall Faust, Western Illinois University; Professor Daniel Pinkham, New England Conservatory; Kerry Turner, American Horn Quartet; and Dr. Craig Phillips, Director of Music, All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills, California. Performers interviewed included Professor Randy Gardner, hornist, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music; Professor Sören Hermansson, The University of Michigan; Dr. Paul Austin, Grand Rapids Symphony; Dr. Greg Crowell, Grand Valley State University; and Dr. Randall Faust. Finally, analysis 4 was conducted on twenty-eight scores of original compositions for horn and organ collected from various sources, including the Library of Congress. 5 Chapter 1 Presentation of Collected Data Relevant to Performance Issues Unique to the Medium of Horn and Organ The repertoire for horn and organ presents certain performance issues that are significant in that they must be resolved each time a new pipe organ, performance space, or composition is encountered. These performance issues are unique to the medium and will be presented and discussed in this paper. Issues include parameters associated with 1) the performance space, 2) the tuning system or temperament of the pipe organ, and 3) ensemble issues. In the performance of a work for horn and organ, the performance space can pose challenges to the ensemble owing to the size of the space, its acoustical design, the ambient temperature, whether the space is a church or concert hall, and the placement of the console and pipes relative to the horn player. Dublin Cathedral in Ireland, for example, is very large. Its live acoustics and several seconds of reverberation cause sounds to melt together. A horn player adjusts to this condition in several ways. To produce clarity in articulation, more separation between notes and omission of printed slurs can be helpful. Clarity can also be gained by sustaining notes for less than full value. A clear, almost explosive, attack with more front to the note than usual may also be necessary. Often the ensemble sound will be clearer to the audience in a live acoustic if the horn bell is facing the audience. The possible disadvantage of this is that the horn sound will not come back to the player in a manner that allows 6 proper reaction to ensemble issues such as timing. Therefore, the player may need to respond to ensemble timing by visual cues between the two players. The placement of the console and pipes relative to the horn player can vary, especially in a church, creating difficulties in ensemble precision and timing. In Salisbury Cathedral in England, for example, there is no possibility of a sightline between the performers. The console is located at the top of a spiral staircase above the altar with no space for a soloist. This is an extreme example, but in many churches the console is out of sight, in a space too small to allow for another musician. It is also not unusual to find the console placed so that the organist faces away from the congregation, further reducing ensemble communication. The distance between the organ pipes and the horn player can vary as well. In many churches, for example Bruton Parish Church in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, the pipes are located in both the front and back of the church. In this case, the horn player must experiment with where to stand relative to the organ pipes to find the placement where the ensemble will sound best yet also allow the performers to hear one another. Also, only candlelight is available for an evening performance at the Bruton Parish Church. Nevertheless, even when electric lights are available, the lighting in churches can often be dim. Having a stand light available will solve this problem. The ambient temperature of the performance space affects ensemble intonation and choice of registration. Many older churches do not have temperature control, allowing extreme heat or cold to change the pitch level and tuning of both the horn and the organ. If the ambient temperature is warm, the 7 air density goes down which causes the pitch of the horn or the organ to rise; if it is cool the density rises, and the pitch will fall. The horn player can adjust tuning slides to make the horn longer or shorter depending on the desired pitch level, but the organ pitch cannot be corrected without a change in temperature. Thus, the horn player is faced with adjusting constantly to the pitch of the organ. This can be achieved in several ways. Opening and closing the aperture of the embouchure, or “lipping” the notes up or down, creates flexibility in pitch but can cause considerable fatigue. This fatigue can be reduced with the use of different vowels. Experimenting with low vowels (O and U) and high vowels (A, E, and I) helps in finding the resonance in the sound that blends best with the organ.