Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 2014 Idiomatic Horn Writing: The orF mal and Historical Contexts of Four Horn Pieces Elizabeth A. Danner Eastern Illinois University This research is a product of the graduate program in Music at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Danner, Elizabeth A., "Idiomatic Horn Writing: The orF mal and Historical Contexts of Four Horn Pieces" (2014). Masters Theses. 1289. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/1289 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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I have conferred with my graduate faculty advisor. My signature below indicates that I have read and agree with the above statements, and hereby give my permission to allow Booth Library to reproduce and distribute my thesis. My adviser's signature indicates concurrence to reproduce and dis · ute the thesis. Printed Name illA ~vv mu.S;v GradUate Degree Program Please submit in duplicate. IDIOMATIC HORN WRITING: The formal and historical contexts of four horn pieces BY Elizabeth A. Danner RECITAL ANALYSIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN MUSIC IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL, EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS 2014 YEAR I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THIS RECITAL ANALYSIS BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE GRADUATE DEGREE CITED ABO ID IOMA TIC HORN WRITING: The formal and historical contexts of four horn pieces By Elizabeth A. Danner Recital Analysis Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Music in the Graduate College of Eastern Illinois University, 2014 Charleston, Illinois TABLE OF CONTENTS Index of Figures. ii Introduction ................................................... I. W.A. Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 3 in E Flat Major, K. 447 The Physical Horn, Performance Practice and Idiomatic Writing . 2 Formal Analysis of Movement 1 . 5 Thematic Analysis of Movement 1 . 6 II. Antonio Rosetti's Horn Concerto for 2 Horns in E Flat Major The Physical Horn, Performance Practice and Idiomatic Writing . 8 Formal Analysis of Movement 1 . 13 Thematic Analysis of Movement 1 . 14 III. Carl Maria von Weber's Concertinofor Horn, Op. 47 The Physical Horn, Performance Practice and Idiomatic Writing....... 16 Formal Analysis. 19 Thematic Analysis. 20 IV. Randall Faust's Call and Response for Solo Horn The Physical Horn, Performance Practice and Idiomatic Writing. 23 Formal Analysis... 26 Thematic Analysis. 27 Bibliography . 28 ii INDEX of FIGURES Figure 1: The harmonic series . 3 Figure 2: Opening melody, Hom Concerto No. 3, K. 447 . 3 Figure 3: A hunting horn call.................................... 4 Figure 4: Mozart's hunting horn melody, K. 447, Mvt. 4............... 4 Figure 5: The harmonic series . 8 Figure 6: Cor-alto and cor-basse, Concerto for Two Horns, mm. 119-120 9 Figure 7: Tum, Concerto for Two Horns, mm. 83-85 . 10 Figure 8: Tum realization 1 . 10 Figure 9: Tum realization 2 . 10 Figure 10: Trill, Concerto for Two Horns, mm. 155-156............... 11 Figure 11: Trill realization 1 . 11 Figure 12: Trill realization 2 . 11 Figure 13: Trill realization 3 . 11 Figure 14: Trill realization 4. 11 Figure 15: Grace note, Concerto for Two Horns, mm. 74-76........... 12 Figure 16: Realization of the grace note . 12 Figure 17: Range extremes, Concertinofor Horn, mm. 11-16.......... 16 Figure 18: Operatic qualities, Concertina for Horn, m. 149... 17 Figure 19: Multiphonics, Concertina for Horn, mm. 166-176 . 18 Figure 20: Stopped horn, Call and Response, mm. 29-31 . 25 Figure 21: Glissando, Call and Response, mm. 45-4 7 . 26 Figure 22: Hom call, Call and Response, mm. 68-70 . 26 1 INTRODUCTION As performers on the modern horn, we are presented with literature that was written for an instrument that differs from the one we use today. The fact that much of our solo literature was written for the natural horn does not invalidate our performances of it on the modern double horn. However, in order to present the music correctly, we must be aware of the development of the horn and historical context. In this document, I explore four pieces from different points in horn history. I assert the reasons each composer wrote the way he did by considering the physical makeup of the horn at the time, the expectations of form, the specific horn players composed for, and the composer's intent. This document accompanies a recital given on April 13, 2014 at the Doudna Fine Arts Center at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL. 2 1: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 3 in Ejlat Major, K. 447 The Physical Horn, Performance Practice, and Idiomatic Writing In the eighteenth century, the horn was not a favored solo instrument. Valves would not be adopted until about 1840, and so the horn was simply a coil of brass. It was severely limited. In the 1780s, Mozart wrote four significant horn concertos that are standard repertoire for any advanced horn player today. In all four concertos, he wrote idiomatically for the natural horn, carefully working around its limitations. I will use Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 3, K. 447, as an example. The natural horn player changes the key of his instrument by switching crooks. The system of crooks was invented in 1753 by Anton Joseph Hampel. 1 A crook is a removable piece of tubing that is inserted in the horn to change the length of the instrument, therefore changing the horn's key. Crooks also alter the timbre and response of the horn. Mozart wrote in the key of E flat. The E-flat crook is an ideal choice because it has the best intonation and the smoothest tone.2 Mozart wrote in this key for the horn player despite the fact that E flat is not the most desirable key for the string orchestra. Mozart was mindful of the harmonic series when he wrote his melodies. The open natural horn can only sound the notes on the harmonic series. The harmonic series is as follows, as a horn player playing a horn in any key would read it: 3 1 John Humphries, The Early Horn (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 28. 2 Ibid., 31. 3 Image credit Jeffrey Agrell. This is also why horn parts appear in so many transpositions: it was a help to the natural hornist, who needed to know where the notes fit in the harmonic series. On today's valve horn, transpositions other than F require the hornist to transpose. 3 F ~r qr f 2= J r iJ J J ~r r F r •r r Q w II 12 14 15 1(1 3 2 '.l 4 5 6 7 :!( ·~ Figure 1: The harmonic series Every note in between the ones shown in the Figure 1 is accomplished by lip bending or by fully or partially stopping the horn with the hand. The technique of hand-stopping was codified by Anton Joseph Hampel around 1750.4 The goal of natural horn players was to achieve a timbre that is as homogenous as possible - to make the muted notes sound like the open ones.5 To minimize this difficulty and to capitalize on the good tone of the open horn, Mozart wrote his melodies to fit closely into the harmonic series, using the open tones as much as possible. This can be seen by examining the horn's opening theme in the first movement. In order to illustrate the relationship to the harmonic series and to provide for easier discussion of stopped and open notes, I have provided the notes that the horn player reads in Figure 2.