Pedagogy—Expanding Your Horn Vocabulary
by Aliyah Danielle, IHS 57 Featured Artist
Can you imagine stopping your vocabulary growth after learning just the basics of a language? This is essentially what happens when we focus too narrowly on one style of performance. As horn players, much of our work revolves around the classical tradition, mastering works from the orchestral and solo repertoire. But today’s music industry demands more. Expanding your “horn vocabulary” means developing the stylistic and technical tools required to play any type of music authentically and with confidence. In a diverse and ever-evolving musical landscape, versatility isn’t just an asset—it’s a necessity.
Expanding your horn vocabulary opens doors to new performance opportunities and creative collaborations. It allows you to connect with a wider audience and express yourself in ways that might otherwise be limited in a classical setting. For a long time, I felt like there was a wall between the horn etudes, excerpts, solos, and ensemble music I was studying at school and the soul, gospel, funk, and R&B music that I listened to otherwise. Exploring genres outside of the classical tradition on horn has amplified my artistry in a way I never thought possible, and it has been so meaningful to see the way that my small action of stepping away from the beaten path has inspired others to do the same. This column is a crash course in what I’ll cover in my workshop at this summer’s International Horn Symposium, where we’ll dive even deeper into how you can incorporate these ideas into your own teaching and practice.
Foundations
When I was in middle school, I attended a week-long summer band camp program at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. In addition to private lessons, we also had chamber and large ensemble sessions, music theory, rhythm, and harmony lessons. One of my teachers there, the late percussionist Cecilio Negrón, Jr., used to always repeat the phrase: “If you can say it, you can play it.” The bottom line in achieving a solid foundation is to develop your ear. Active listening and mimicking the greats is a practical first step to developing a solid foundation, and a good handle on aural skills will make this process feel more like play and less like a chore.
Start by immersing yourself in the music you want to learn. Whether it’s pop, folk, lo-fi, or rock, create playlists, study recordings, and transcribe solos to internalize the nuances. Be sure to sing these in addition to playing them on the horn! It is also important to consider variations in tone and articulation. Different genres call for different approaches, and experimenting with tone colors and phrasing can help you adapt and become comfortable with performing what may be deemed in the classical world as “uncharacteristic sounds.” Finally, embrace improvisation. Start small, like improvising with a major scale over a drone. You can slowly expand to different scales, patterns, and chord progressions as you find a comfort zone in realizing your own ideas and breaking free from the page.
Practical Tools and Resources
There are several practical tools and resources that make this exploration more approachable. There are many method books and play-along tracks that are tailored to specific styles, and you can find many of these online for free or at a very low cost. Some resources I’ve found helpful are Blues, Bossa, Bebop, and Beyond by Steve Schaughency and Darmon Meader, 12 Jazzy Etudes for Horn by Ricardo Matosinhos, The Modern Hornist by Giovanni Hoffer, From Classical to Jazz by Joshua Pantoja, and Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns by Nicolas Slonimsky.
You can also set up a jam or practice session with people who play other instruments or specialize in other genres. In grad school, I had the privilege of taking private lessons from a saxophonist, and it is by far the most impactful experience I’ve had in developing my musicianship. Working with people proficient in other genres gives you insight into stylistic authenticity that you can’t always get from reading sheet music alone. A good place to start branching out is by listening to musical theater, film and video game or pop music, as these genres typically bridge classical and contemporary techniques. Some of my favorite composers are Quincy Jones, Natalie Holt, Terence Blanchard, Ludwig Göransson, Stephen Schwartz, Ennio Morricone, and Alan Silvestri.
An Educator’s Perspective
I’ve heard from many colleagues that they have students who would be interested in playing music outside of the classical realm, but they don’t know how to help. Integrating diverse genres into your pedagogy can prepare students for a broader range of musical experiences. Even something as simple as expanding which scales and harmonic settings your students study is a great start. Play improvisation games in your studio classes and lessons. Analyze the stylistic and theoretical elements of a piece in a different genre. Try learning new songs by ear. Being vulnerable to try new things and model flexibility yourself will give your students permission to approach new ideas with curiosity and enthusiasm. Remember that the goal is not perfection—it is to explore and discover new ways of expressing a full range of musical ideas through our instruments.
Exploring beyond the classical realm challenges us to grow as musicians and opens the door to limitless creative possibilities. I encourage you to start small—choose one new genre to explore this month and see where it takes you. We will dive even deeper into this topic at the Symposium in June, and I hope to see you there!
Themed University Horn Class Recitals
by Richard Seraphinoff, Indiana University
For the past several years, I have been organizing my horn class recitals at the IU Jacobs School of Music according to a theme or featuring a specific composer, and I wanted to share this concept with teachers everywhere simply because of the fun we have had doing it. Choosing a single composer or theme has made our class recitals into more of a project rather than a potpourri of unrelated pieces with no underlying relationships. “The Franz Strauss Project” has a nice ring to it, and the preparation for a collaborative endeavor makes everyone feel like they are equal participants in the event.
When I started looking, I was surprised how many composers had written enough music for horn that a dozen or more students could have their own individual piece or movement. So far, with a class of about a dozen horn majors, we have done concerts featuring Mozart (there are 11 concerto movements, the concert rondo, and the unfinished fragments…and to make it even more fun, we have also done them with four-horn accompaniment), Gliere (three concerto movements, four short pieces plus four more transcribed from op. 35), Alec Wilder, Franz Strauss, Antonio Rosetti, Jan Koetsier, the Otto Nicolai duets, Bernard Heiden, and Randall Faust. For this last one, Prof. Faust came as our special guest.
On November 20th this fall, our class project was the music of James Naigus with James present as our special guest. James played piano for his music, and everyone was excited about getting to perform their piece with the composer.
Aside from specific composers, we have done other themes, like pairing up horn students with IU composition students to commission a piece for each student, or performing pieces by past IU composers, or preparing a concert in which students searched out underrepresented composers for a diverse concert of works by composers who deserve more attention. A particularly enjoyable concert was one in which each student did their own transcription of a piece written for voice or for another instrument.
These recitals also give students the opportunity to say something about the piece, the composer, and any other relevant information that would be of interest to the audience. This is great practice for doing research, for collecting their thoughts to talk for a minute or so before they play, and to actually speak. It is also a good dry run for generating program notes or talking to the audience before degree recitals—in which we would like for students to connect with their audiences in addition to providing background on the compositions.
So far, we have not run out of prolific composers of horn music or themes on which to base a concert. The list of future projects is long enough to go for several years without repeating anything.
Try this idea for your next class recital. It will transform it into a memorable, even newsworthy, event.
Rick Seraphinoff, Professor of Music, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, https://www.seraphinoff.com
Chamber Music Corner—Anton Rubinstein’s Quintet in F Major for Piano and Winds, Op. 55 (1855)
by Layne Anspach
Hello musicians!
Continuing 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
A 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.
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.
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
- Dates: June 22, 2025 to July 5, 2025
- Notes on Applicants: Ages 14 to 20 in the program; only high schoolers are eligible for the orchestra.
- Application Deadline: January 17, 2025
- Location: Lenox, Massachusetts
- Website Link: https://www.bu.edu/cfa/tanglewood/program/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
- Dates: June 20, 2025 to August 12, 2025
- Notes on Applicants: Our students are typically 18 to 28 and enrolled in or recently graduated from undergraduate or graduate studies.
- Application Deadline: February 1, 2025
- Location: Chautauqua, New York
- Website Link: https://www.chq.org/festival-schools/school-of-music/instrumental-program/
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
- Dates: June 23, 2025 to July 21, 2025
- Notes on Applicants: Students ages 15 to 20 who are seriously considering music as a career.
- Application Deadline: January 20, 2025
- Location: Washington D.C.
- Website Link: target="_blank"https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/opportunities-for-artists/pre-professional-artist-training/nso-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.
