by Inman Hebert
As horn players, we have an unofficial obligation to serve as ambassadors. A key part of the International Horn Society’s mission revolves around building global fellowship in the effort to educate and to promote the instrument. These ideals rely, in great part, on us being representatives of the horn to non-musical family, friends, and communities. As spokespeople, articulating why the horn matters encourages us to find shared connections which illustrate the horn’s impact in society.
While iconic classical horn moments, such as the solo in the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, the trio in Beethoven’s Eroica, or Wagner’s “Short Call,” may lack mainstream familiarity, using popular culture and highlighting the role of the horn in film and popular music can foster comprehension as we communicate.
First and foremost, we must understand that not everyone recognizes the horn’s sound. To remove this barrier, we can point out specific moments in popular media that feature horn solos. We must also endeavor to perform more in our own communities. Playing in chamber music ensembles, like brass quintets or horn quartets or performing pops concerts, can provide an entry point for the general public to appreciate the instrument’s captivating tone.
Renowned for its unique rich sound—the sound which we work so hard to develop—the horn features prominently in a variety of films of almost every genre from Westerns to Sci-fi classics to modern superhero movies. To name a few, the horn is featured in the title themes of The Magnificent Seven, Star Trek: First Contact, Band of Brothers, and The Avengers.
For the elevator pitch, “Think of the most epic moments in any movie you have ever watched, and the horn will be present in those triumphs.” Consider, for example, The Lord of the Rings. Highlighting a few horn features in cinematic music can serve as common ground for discussion.
The Star Wars fan can relate to the famous “Princess Leia’s Theme” or “Binary Sunset” (Force Theme), the first of which portrays the character’s emotional depth while the latter elicits hope throughout one of the most iconic movie franchises ever created.
The over one billion people who have been estimated to have seen the Harry Potter movies can easily recognize “Hedwig’s Theme,” the song playing during the opening credits that then permeates the film series. Within this theme, the horn takes over the melody from the glockenspiel, lending its unique sound to the mystique of Rowling’s wizard world.
Additionally, The Beatles, one of the most popular bands ever, feature Alan Civil’s horn playing in their hit "For No One,” which recently surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify.
Through pop culture references, we can promote the horn’s sound, show the extent to which the instrument pervades familiar music (particularly in movies and television), and share the horn’s role in storytelling and in evoking emotion. By engaging with our audience through shared experiences, we go a long way in fulfilling our roles as ambassadors for the horn.
