by Rick Seraphinoff
Corno da Capo, the first historical novel written especially for horn players, is now available worldwide on Amazon. My intention in writing the book was to present all the current research into horn history and natural horn playing technique in a fun adventure story that will be enjoyable to read. You’ll get to meet the most famous horn duo of the 18th century, Johann Palsa and Carl Türrschmidt, as well as other prominent horn soloists like Beate Pokorny and Giovanni Punto, with guest appearances by Punto’s dog Hans-Joachim, Mozart’s dog Bimprel, (Mozart really did have a dog named Bimprel!) and a host of other composers, musicians, and historical figures. Horn players and all musicians interested in late 18th century performance practice can enjoy the fun and adventurous story while learning about a pivotal period of horn history and what it was like to be a court musician and traveling horn soloist at the time. The well-researched story is based on what we know about the actual lives of these prominent 18th century horn soloists – with a large dose of creative license. Documentation of their lives, historical notes, and a bibliography appear at the end of the book so that serious students of horn history can sort out fact from fiction.
Richard Seraphinoff is Professor of Horn at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. For nearly 40 years, Professor Seraphinoff has specialized in crafting and teaching instruments of the 18th and 19th centuries.
