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Chamber Music Corner—Anton Rubinstein’s Quintet in F Major for Piano and Winds, Op. 55 (1855)

by Layne Anspach

Hello musicians!

anton rubenstein 190Continuing with piano and wind repertoire, we will focus this month on Anton Rubinstein’s Quintet in F Major, Op. 55. Rubinstein was a Russian pianist, composer, conductor, and teacher. He was an exceptional pianist, and his recitals were big events. In 1862, he founded the St. Petersburg Conservatory. As a composer, Rubinstein wrote for a wide variety of genres: opera, symphony, concerti, songs, and chamber works.

The Quintet in F Major was written in 1855 while Rubinstein was on a solo tour. He also composed a piano quartet version, Op. 55a. The first movement, Allegro non troppo, starts with a call and response between winds and piano. The clarinet takes on the first melody with piano accompaniment. The horn and piano pass the second theme between each other before the rest of the winds join. The development is fragmented between winds and piano, although the piano part is present throughout, driving the section forward. The recap is accentuated with piano figurations, added to the return of the chordal winds. The movement ends with a flurry from the piano with chordal support from the winds. 

The first theme of the second movement, Scherzo: Allegro assai, is carried melodically by the piano. After the winds present the second theme, the piano waits to adopt it until the end of the scherzo section. The trio features bassoon and horn melodically with piano accompaniment. The scherzo returns unedited.

The horn, with piano support, is heard with a lyrical solo beginning the Andante con moto. The melody is passed from horn to the other winds as the movement continues. As expected, the piano takes a more prominent role as the movement progresses. Building up to a piano cadenza, the rhythmic pulse fluctuates through a forward push of the tempo. The opening theme is reprised by the piano leading to the soft conclusion.

In the final movement, Allegro appassionato, the piano begins alone, but shortly the clarinet joins with melodic content and remains the focus, only relinquishing to the horn for a short time. The second theme is characterized by a staccato style and dotted rhythms. The development is introduced by the piano with soft repeated chords which continue with fragmented wind commentary. The recap is worth a special listen, although it sounds as if it arrives too early! The key areas are still modulating with the first theme appearing in A-flat major, rather than the expected F major. F major is not restored until the second theme of the recap, which continues to build to a dramatic climax but is interrupted by the soft chords from the development. A final Presto brings the work to a typical rousing conclusion.

The reference recording is from Consortium Classicum’s album Anton Rubinstein: Octet, Op. 9 and Quintet, Op. 55 (Orfeo). The hornist on the album is Jan Schroeder.

“Basta, basta!” . . . Fiddling with Mozart

“Basta, basta!” . . . Fiddling with Mozart

by Alec Frank-Gemmell

af g 190A former teacher of mine said of their recording of the Mozart horn concertos, “I’m not really sure why I bothered.” Said recording is excellent, so they were probably just being excessively modest.  Nevertheless, every new version of these pieces does beg the question, why do we need another one? I was lucky enough to be offered a contract with the record label BIS ten years ago on the understanding that I would definitely record Mozart’s horn concertos, among other things. It has taken me this long to get around to it. My experiences making discs on period instruments, of transcriptions and even of fairly obscure repertoire, have all informed my decision-making with this recording.

There are brilliant interpretations of “The Mozarts” on old and on modern horn. The recordings by Dennis Brain with Karajan and the Philharmonia remain, at least on the scene in which I grew up, the ultimate versions with valves. This is perhaps partly due to the history of these recordings and that player: they did more than anything else to establish the horn as a solo instrument, at least since Giovanni Punto and Josef Leutgeb were around. It was not my intention to give a nod to those recordings, but it just so happened that the instrument that suited me best was a gold brass Alexander model 90, the same type of horn that Brain used on that LP. (I actually recorded the Brahms trio on Aubrey Brain’s piston horn, but the engineering on that disc means you can’t hear much difference, alas…or do I mean “I’m not really sure why I bothered!”).

Among my favorite recent releases of the Mozart concertos are those played on natural horn. There is so much in these concertos that makes sense when you hear the different shadings necessitated by hand-stopping rather than valving. It was my plan to record on a “nat,” but having made a disc of baroque concertos called Before Mozart with Nicholas McGegan and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, it was too tempting to get the band back together for this disc. Nic is both a hilarious person and also a pioneer in period performance. So, we were never going to ignore historically-informed practice. One of the aspects of natural horn playing I most admire is that the horn seems to relate so much more strongly to its roots as a hunting instrument. The sound of the hunt is ever-present in the Mozart concertos, especially in the finales. Thus, with the odd bit of wildness and some fun hand-stopping thrown in, I’ve tried to compensate a bit for using the valves.

Finally, to this disc’s USP (unique selling point). It is impossible to record “all” of the Mozart horn concertos without making choices about editions and completions, which fragments to include and which to leave out. I always found it interesting that (perhaps thanks to Brain) we think of Mozart’s four horn concertos. No. 1, K. 412, was not only completed by Süssmayer but Mozart never wrote a slow movement for it. Another interesting phenomenon is the numbering, whereby No. 1 is actually the last one Mozart wrote. Modified for an ailing Leutgeb, it is considered “the easiest.” (One rarely gets booked to play a two-movement concerto with orchestra without any flashiness.) For this disc I took a deep breath and with the help of the amazing Stephen Roberts, transcribed the slow movement of Mozart violin concerto K. 211 to make a complete piece. Transposed down an octave, much of the solo line is playable on horn. There is also something reminiscent of a horn concerto slow movement in the lilt of the original. And if the demands on the horn player are greater than could be expected of the elderly Leutgeb in K. 412, at least it now means we earn our fee!

For the puritan, of course, any transcription is wrong-headed. I imagine that my versions of cello and violin works by Brahms for horn were quite unpopular in some quarters! However, I like to think that our version of Mozart’s Concerto No. 1 is certainly fitting. The great master would never have taken bits of a fiddle concerto and bolted them onto an unfinished horn concerto. But equally, he probably wouldn’t have minded us doing so—writing for his friend, this is hardly Mozart in the serious vein of the Requiem (written the same year). And although he did not finish the orchestration of the finale, he did find time to write some amusing abuse above the horn part.  As well as calling Leutgeb “Cazzo” (which I won’t translate), he writes at the end “Basta, basta!” or “Enough, enough!” I think that’s my cue. 

Horn on Record

by Ian Zook

Volume 20 — Verne Reynolds 

This month, we will depart from the usual explorations of the outer reaches of repertoire and listen to the Eastman Horn Choir in Music for Christmas, recorded in 1981 on Stolat Records. This ensemble was directed by Verne Reynolds, a weighty presence in the horn world for his numerous contributions to teaching, composition, and writing.

Eastman Horn Choir Album Front

Verne Reynolds (1926-2011) was the longtime Professor of Horn at the Eastman School of Music, retiring in 1995 after 36 years on faculty. He was born in Kansas and began horn studies at age 13. He served in the U.S. Navy after high school, and then continued his education at the Cincinnati Conservatory, the University of Wisconsin, and the Royal College of Music in London as a Fulbright scholar. He played with the Cincinnati Symphony from 1947-1950 and also taught at the Cincinnati Conservatory, the University of Wisconsin, and Indiana University before assuming his position at Eastman in 1959. He was principal horn of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1959-1968, and he also devoted much of his performance time to the Eastman Brass Quintet and the American Woodwind Quintet.

Reynolds was an accomplished composer of over 60 works published by G. Shirmer, Carl Fischer, Belwin-Mills, and Southern Music whose catalog includes solo instrumental works and pieces for orchestra, choral ensemble, and chamber ensembles. He is well known for his 48 Etudes and his thoughts on music and teaching in The Horn Handbook. Several additional horn works include Calls for Two Horns in F, Intonation Exercises for Two Horns, Elegy for Solo Horn, Horn Vibes for horn and vibraphone, and Fantasy Etudes Volume V, Partita, Sonata, and Sonata Concertare all for horn and piano. His chamber pieces include Songs of the Seasons for soprano, horn, and piano, and trios with violin and piano, oboe and piano, and trumpet and trombone.

Verne Reynolds Pic

It is also important to recognize his many additions to the repertoire for horn ensemble, horn quartet, and brass quintet. With special attention to Renaissance and Baroque works, he arranged works ranging from Gabrieli, Handel, Bach, and Scheidt to Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Schumann. With his lasting legacy of teaching and his rich compositional output, he was distinguished as an Honorary Member of the International Horn Society in 1994.

Let’s proceed with some listening! Cor Carols, arranged by L.P. Schwartz, is a medley that weaves together numerous carols with clever transitions and grand choral writing. This section features God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen transitioning to Adeste Fidelis:

An arrangement of Bach’s chorale O Mensch, bewein’ dein’ Sünde gross features excellent chordal tuning from the Eastman Horn Choir, anchored by the firm bass of the low horns:

The 12 Days of Christmas, arranged by J. Lalumia, combines the Eastman Horns and the Eastman Trombone Choir directed by John Marcellus:

The closing selection, Lied by Hassler, has Gabrieli-style choirs in close imitation. The music is crisp and joyful:

Wishing all our readers a wonderful holiday season! Thank you for reading Horn on Record!

Music Festivals 2025

This listing contains Music Festival announcements for 2025; however, the postings were compiled in mid-November 2024 and will inevitably include omissions. While the International Horn Society is global, the limitations of my experience have limited the scope of this listing to the United States. Inclusion does not constitute endorsement by the International Horn Society.

Aspen Music Festival

  • Dates: June 25, 2025 to August 24, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: Average age of their student body is 25, and most students are enrolled in pre-college, conservatory, or graduate-level music studies. Brass are rarely accepted for their half sessions.
  • Application Deadline: January 5, 2025
  • Location: Aspen, Colorado
  • Website Link: https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/students-welcome/admissions/programs-of-study/

Boston Tanglewood Institute French Horn Workshop

Brevard College Orchestral Institute

  • Dates: June 16, 2025 to August 3, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: The college division is for students ages 18 through 29 who have completed at least one year as a full-time college student. In addition to current undergraduates, many students in the program have graduated or are presently enrolled for graduate study.
  • Application Deadline: February 15, 2025
  • Location: Brevard, North Carolina
  • Website Link: https://www.brevardmusic.org/institute/college/orchestral/

Chautauqua Institution

Colorado College Summer Music Festival

  • Dates: June 7, 2025 to June 27, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: Advanced, pre-professional musicians. Applicants will range in age from 18 years old to students at the university, master’s, and doctoral levels. While most accepted students are pursuing a degree, you do not have to be currently enrolled at a school to apply.
  • Application Deadline: February 15, 2025
  • Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • Website Link: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/other/summermusicfestival/fellows/apply.html

Eastern Music Festival Young Artists Orchestra Program

  • Dates: June 28, 2025 to August 2, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: Ages 14 to 23.
  • Application Deadline: February 19, 2025
  • Location: Greensboro, North Carolina
  • Website Link: https://easternmusicfestival.org/horn/

Festival Napa Valley Blackburn Music Academy

  • Dates: July 1, 2025 to July 20, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: Program is open to all instrumentalists 18 years and older.
  • Application Deadline: February 15, 2025
  • Location: Napa Valley, California
  • Website Link: https://festivalnapavalley.org/education/academy/

Foosa Festival

  • Dates: June 14, 2025 to June 30, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: Advanced musicians of graduate school, college, and high school age.
  • Application Deadline: March 15, 2025
  • Location: Fresno, California
  • Website Link: https://www.foosamusic.org/about-foosa

Lake George Music Festival

  • Dates: June 8, 2025 to June 19, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: For young professionals and internationally acclaimed guest artists ages 18 and up.
  • Application Deadline: January 1, 2025
  • Location: Lake George, New York
  • Website Link: https://www.lakegeorgemusicfestival.com/apply

National Music Festival

  • Dates: May 31, 2025 to June 15, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: All applicants must be at least 18 years of age by June 1, 2025. There is no upper age limit. The average age is 22, though some are younger and older.
  • Application Deadline: February 10, 2025
  • Location: Chestertown, Maryland
  • Website Link: https://nationalmusic.us/

National Repertory Orchestra Summer Music Festival

  • Dates: June 21, 2025 to August 9, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: Applicants must be between 18 and 29 years of age and will have completed at least one year of college, university, or conservatory by June 16, 2025.
  • Application Deadline: January 24, 2025
  • Location: Breckenridge, Colorado
  • Website Link: https://www.nromusic.org/how-to-apply/

National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute

Round Top Music Festival

  • Dates: June 2, 2025 to July 12, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: Born before December 31, 2007.
  • Application Deadline: February 3, 2025
  • Location: Round Top, Texas
  • Website Link: https://festivalhill.org/#/summerinstitute

Sarasota Music Festival

  • Dates: May 31, 2025 to June 22, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: Musicians from top music programs at colleges and conservatories are invited to audition and participate.
  • Application Deadline: Not Yet Listed
  • Location: Sarasota, Florida
  • Website Link: target="_blank"https://www.sarasotaorchestra.org/festival

Sewanee Summer Music Festival

  • Dates: June 15, 2025 to July 13, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: Includes pre-college and college students.
  • Application Deadline: February 15, 2025
  • Location: Sewanee, Tennessee
  • Website Link: https://ssmf.sewanee.edu/experience/orchestra/

Spoleto Festival USA

  • Dates: May 23, 2025 to June 8, 2025
  • Notes on Applicants: An exceptionally talented group of performers is selected to perform in the ensemble.
  • Application Deadline: January 1, 2025
  • Location: Charleston, South Carolina
  • Website Link: https://spoletousa.org/get-involved/auditions/

Student Column—Music Festivals 2025

by Inman Hebert

As we approach winter break, I encourage each and every student of the horn to examine available music festival options. These classical, two- to eight-week summer music festivals, as found in the United States, serve as intensive, immersive programs for performers. Though diverse in their offerings, these festivals, institutes, and workshops primarily fill orchestral ensembles. Some programs may also provide masterclasses, individual instruction, section rehearsals, studio classes, concerto competitions, professional development seminars, or mock auditions. The list included below focuses on festivals for which college-age students would be eligible, though one or two are open to younger players.

Students should look ahead to application deadlines; these range from December to early March. Festival costs vary and range up to almost $13,000. Some offer partial or full scholarships upon acceptance, while others provide financial aid based on need (requiring completion of a form). Some cover tuition while others include room and board. Housing ranges from hotel rooms, campus dorms, cabins, and private homes. As a general rule, no festivals cover transportation costs to the music festival, such as airline tickets.

Many festivals offer reduced application fees for meeting an earlier deadline. Those fees range from $30.00 to $125.00. In addition to the application and the audition, other requirements may include personal statements, teacher recommendations, resumés, financial aid applications, essay questions, video responses, and headshots.

Auditions tend to consist of one or two solo pieces plus excerpts. Common solo requirements include Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 1 or a Mozart concerto, whereas others request two movements of contrasting styles and musical eras. Specifications on piano accompaniments vary from them being required, optional, or disallowed. Excerpts are also pulled from the standard repertoire, including Till Eulenspiegel, Ein Heldenleben, Shostakovich 5, Tchaikovsky 5, and Wagner’s “short call,” etc. Instructions also dictate whether the individual components of the audition can be filmed in separate videos or whether the video must be recorded in one continuous take.

Whether considering a music festival for this coming summer or for the future, reviewing the requirements now will help students identify the options best suited for their situations and the instructions for completing applications and audition videos. The best time to plan for the summer is now, and these festivals offer vital pre-professional opportunities for growth as a horn student. View the list here.

Chamber Music Corner—Tiffany Johns’ Vignettes from a Village, Op. 27 (2023)

Chamber Music Corner—Tiffany Johns’ Vignettes from a Village, Op. 27 (2023)

by Layne Anspach

Hello musicians!

This month, CMC will focus on American composer Tiffany Johns’ Vignettes from a Village, Op. 27, scored for flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and piano. Johns’ is a composer and brass multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles, California. She performs in a variety of ensembles and styles, including funk, jazz, opera, and even the Disneyland Band. Johns has performed and recorded with several world-renowned artists, including Bernard Purdie, Bootsy Collins, and Jason Derulo, to name a few. Heard on many recording projects, she has performed on two Grammy-nominated albums, Intercambio by the Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet, and Canto América by La Orquesta Sinfonietta. An active arranger and composer, her works can be heard across the US and abroad.

Vignettes from a Village, Op. 27 (2023) is a work that I commissioned for a concert series in the summer of 2023. It is a three-movement work in which each movement’s descriptive title places the audience in a different scene. “At Dawn” opens with the winds only as the flute presents the melody. After an emphatic scale set by the winds, the piano enters with the second theme, supported softly by clarinet and bassoon. This melody is passed among the winds prior to a short cadenza for the horn. The movement then ends with a return to the opening material, but now as a stronger statement.

“A Shepherd’s Mind Wanders” begins with solo piano in a tender adagio. The melody is repeated but with the winds adding additional support. The clarinet plays a short solo before the bassoon takes over the melody. The opening returns with flute, horn, and piano presenting the melody, but in a new key and with the full ensemble. The movement closes with the soft fragments of the theme in the winds.

The horn and bassoon begin “Under Siege” with a unison melody over a timbral trill effect between the flute and clarinet. The texture continues to build until the section climaxes with repeated sixteenth notes in winds and piano and a horn call. The opening theme returns, set softly in the piano, followed by fragments in the rest of the ensemble. The clarinet then proceeds alone to open a fugue. A calmer moderato follows this with reduced volume and activity. Prior to the return of the opening material, we hear the horn call again but in a suppressed manner. The A section returns almost identically to how it began, but instead of another fugue, a flute solo emerges, paving the way for an energetic conclusion.

The reference recording is by Ivory Winds at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Anyone interested in purchasing this music may contact the composer directly at her website.

Research to Resonance—On Pointe: Insights from The Nutcracker Stage

Research to Resonance—On Pointe: Insights from The Nutcracker Stage

by Katy Carnaggio

In every hall where a performer stands, there’s often a story the audience will never fully know—a life outside the spotlight filled with challenges, losses, and triumphs, all carried onto the stage. Yet when the music begins, that weight transforms into something extraordinary: a connection bridging the performer’s unspoken truths with those held by the audience.

This transformative power of performance is something Sarah Wroth, Professor of Music in Ballet and Chair of the Ballet Department at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, understands deeply. A former professional dancer with the Boston Ballet and an accomplished performance educator, Sarah brings a visionary perspective shaped by over 560 personal Nutcracker performances and a career dedicated to nurturing artists. As we enter The Nutcracker season, Sarah’s reflections remind us why this tradition endures: it embodies humanity, community, and the potential for growth, both on and off the stage.

nutcracker

For many musicians, The Nutcracker is often appreciated more for its holiday income than its emotional expression. But Sarah sees its stronghold within the classical repertoire as an invitation to explore the deeper principles of performance. Whether you’re playing the sweeping lines from The Waltz of the Flowers for the first or hundredth time this season, the task remains the same: to interpret. “We’re interpretive artists,” Sarah explains. The notes, emotions, and story are just the foundation—the fuel for bringing everything together on stage with your unique style, presence, and grace.

“You’re performing; you’re giving of yourself,” Sarah adds. “Be the best version of yourself for your audience.” This emphasis on generosity strengthens the connection that makes music so impactful; it’s what allows the audience to feel seen without saying a word. While the score remains unchanged, the performer evolves, entering each performance with subtle shifts in mindsets and emotional palettes. This constant evolution offers an opportunity to approach every rendition with true presence and a commitment to interpretation, continually refining the art of storytelling. Sarah points out that the recurring nature of The Nutcracker makes it a unique benchmark for personal growth: “It comes every year,” she notes. “You can measure your growth against the chart of the work.”

Beyond individual growth, The Nutcracker exemplifies community. It gathers musicians, dancers, and audiences to celebrate the season, highlighting moments of kindness and connection. “The Nutcracker is what brings people into the classical arts with regularity…with seasonal regularity,” Sarah emphasizes. “You can feel like you’re doing the good, accessible mission work of your art form.”

Collaboration also plays a vital role in its magic, with each performance offering a chance to honor the humanity and artistry of those across disciplines. Sarah recalls Boston Ballet dancers eagerly peeking into the orchestra pit during rehearsals to hear the music come alive. “The best collaborations happen when both entities appreciate each other,” she reflects. “We are the embodiment of you.” This mutual respect transforms live performance into something greater—a shared act of storytelling that bridges music and movement.

Musicians can draw inspiration from the way dancers bring music to life through physical storytelling. Observe how they translate dynamics, tempo, phrasing, and emotion into movement, aligning their gestures with musical contours. This precision and intention can elevate your own phrasing, articulation, tone, and sense of meter. Notice how the dancers' movement flows continuously, creating phrases that rise, fall, and resolve naturally. Let these arcs inspire smoother phrasing and breathing in your own performance. By approaching The Nutcracker as a virtuous cycle of co-creation, musicians can reimagine a familiar tradition as a dynamic artistic experience.

While The Nutcracker season often brings a whirlwind of rehearsals, performances, and holiday commitments, Sarah offers a grounding reminder: the stresses and pressures of performance don’t come from the instrument or the art form itself. Reflecting on her relationship with ballet, Sarah speaks to its inherent purity: “I always thought of ballet as my therapy. Ballet itself is this pure, wonderful thing—it was the things surrounding it that frustrated me. When I felt sad or overwhelmed, I’d go to the Boston Ballet School and take a class. It would just be me and that pure art form. I’d think, ‘I love the way my arm feels moving to the music.’ That practice realigned me with my joy.” 

Like ballet, the horn is innocent. Music is a pure art form that can become a refuge during challenging times. “The best-case scenario for you as an artist,” Sarah explains, “is that your art form becomes your therapy.” By separating external pressures from the simple joy of playing, you allow music to sustain and ground you, even in the busiest and most stressful seasons. Taking time for practice becomes more than a task on your to-do list—it’s a way to care for yourself. Whether it’s a warm-up that feels good, fun improvisation, or a few moments of mindful playing, these small acts can help you connect with the enjoyment that first drew you to the horn.

If Sarah’s insights resonated with you, I’d love to invite you to experience her educational work in action. This holiday season, join us for The Nutcracker at the Jacobs School of Music. You can watch it for free online at IU Music Live, or visit us in person to see Sarah’s teachings come to life on stage—a celebration of artistry, tradition, and community that continues to inspire year after year.

  1. Meet the People—Music to Art, Art for Music
  2. Pedagogy Column—Air IN/Air OUT
  3. Pedagogy Column—The Seamless Slur
  4. Hornscapes CD (Parte 3)

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