Composer Spotlight—Roque Cordero
by Caiti Beth McKinney
Hello everyone! This month we’re taking a sharp turn away from the late-Romantic tonality of Ethel Smyth to the ground-breaking work of Roque Cordero. Perhaps the only well-known Panamanian composer to this day, Cordero got his start writing music for wind ensembles at the age of fifteen. Incredibly, at the age of twenty-one, Cordero also founded the National Orchestra of Panama, for the establishment of which he wrote his first orchestral work. His works range from tonal pieces from his younger years to far more avant-garde sounds, embracing rhythms and phrasing styles from Panamanian folk music while blending them with Modernist techniques.
For the horn, Cordero composed two chamber works: Music for Five Brass, a brass quintet, (available here), and Variations and Theme for Five, a woodwind quintet (available here). Both are incredibly challenging works, requiring great rhythmic dexterity and independence of line. Not for the faint of heart, Cordero’s woodwind quintet would make a great competition piece. The group that can give a convincing performance must be absolutely in sync, and furthermore must be highly conscious of texture and color. Challenge accepted, anyone?
Chamber Music Corner—Robert Kahn’s Serenade in F Minor, Op. 73
by Layne Anspach
Hello everyone!
Robert Kahn’s Serenade in F Minor, Op. 73 is the focus of this month’s Chamber Music Corner. Kahn was a German composer and teacher born in Mannheim in 1865. Kahn received his musical training at the Berlin Musikhochschule (1882-85) and the Munich Akademie der Tonkunst (1885-86). From 1894 to 1930, he taught piano and music theory at the Berlin Musikhochschule. Due to his Jewish heritage, Kahn was forced to retire from his position by the Nazis in the 1930s. He left Germany for England in 1937 where he resided till his death in 1951.
The historical suggestion is that the Serenade in F Minor, Op. 73 was first submitted to Kahn’s publisher Simrock as a trio for oboe, horn, and piano. Simrock did not believe he could sell many copies with this instrumentation, so he suggested that Kahn write it for the traditional piano trio (violin, cello, and piano). Kahn delivered parts for eight instruments that could be mixed and matched. Regardless of whether the story is accurate, the following parts were composed—Part A: oboe, clarinet, violin, or viola; and Part B: horn, viola, or cello. While there is a viola part for Part A, it seems to be quite uncommon in the possible configurations, thus reducing the number of ensemble options from twelve to nine.
Comprised of a single movement which lasts roughly eleven minutes, the piece has two main themes, each of which is interrupted by a faster section. Andante sostenuto (the first main theme) opens with the horn sustaining a single pitch while the piano rolls chords in two beat pairings. The oboe enters with the melody in m. 5, which is characterized by a hemiola at the beginning, after which the melody is passed around. This section is interrupted by a fiery Vivace propelled by running sixteenths in the right hand of the piano. The winds are seemingly in conflict with the piano as Kahn writes polyrhythms: triplet eighths in the winds and sixteenth notes in the piano. The winds “win” in the polyrhythmic conflict as the piano adopts the triplet eighth figures in the transition back into the Tempo I (Andante sostenuto).
The oboe introduces the new melody in the second main theme at Allegretto non troppo e grazioso. This features mordents and grace notes sprinkled throughout. The second interjection, Piu mosso, begins with an octave leap by both winds. The melody features a similar hemiola as the Andante sostenuto, but with different melodic content. After the piano restates the motif of the Allegretto, the final section is altered by changes of tempi. A molto rallentando sets up a seven measure Vivace coda bringing the piece to a brilliant conclusion which incorporates both the hemiola and mordents from the Andante sostenuto and Allegretto, respectively.
The reference recording features David Guerrier on horn. Additionally, Erik Ralske can be heard on a live recording with the clarinet, horn, and piano instrumentation; and Howard Wall is the hornist on the album Horn Trios by Brahms, Kahn, Koechlin & Dubois with the violin, horn, and piano instrumentation.
Chamber Music Corner—Spohr Quintet in C minor
by Layne Anspach
Hello everyone!
Chamber Music Corner is a new column that will explore chamber works which include horn. This month’s highlighted piece is Louis Spohr’s Quintet in C Minor, Op. 52 for piano, flute, clarinet, horn, and bassoon. While the most famous piano-and-wind quintets exchange the flute for an oboe (i.e., Mozart, K. 452 and Beethoven, Op. 16), there is a handful of wonderful pieces using Spohr’s instrumentation to examine in the future.
Louis Spohr was a German composer, violinist, and conductor born in Brunswick in 1784. He was an extraordinary violinist who wrote chamber compositions focused mostly on string works featuring himself. From 1799 through 1821, Spohr moved from one conducting/concertmaster position to another, all while touring Europe as a soloist. After 1821, he remained in Kassel as Kapellmeister until 1857, passing away two years later after a brief illness.
In 1820, Spohr was engaged by the London Philharmonic Society for the year. While in London, the health of his first wife, Dorette Scheidler, an accomplished harpist, started to decline to the point that she was unable to perform on harp. Considering this, Spohr wrote the Quintet in C Minor, Op. 52 as a piece for which she would play the piano part. The work features the piano heavily, almost to the extent of a piano concerto with wind accompaniment.
The first movement, Allegro moderato, establishes a lively gesture between winds and piano in sonata form. The second movement starts to feature the piano as soloist; Larghetto con moto begins with a slow introduction in the winds led by the clarinet. The piano follows alone, after which the winds join in the harmony. The B section is led by a piano melody with wind accompaniment as an underlying triplet pulse. Spohr composed gorgeous melodic interjections by the winds with the piano accompanying. The movement ends with a repetition of the A section to close out the ternary form.
The Menuetto: Allegretto opens with a downward-falling horn solo which hands off the melody to the piano. The minuet is melodically shared between winds and piano, passing back and forth in turn. The trio is a fantastic feature for the piano, Spohr presumably featuring his wife’s playing. The movement repeats the minuet and trio followed by a short coda. Finale: Allegro molto is an incessant drive of sixteenth-note energy from the piano. Presented by the piano, the B theme of this movement is, in my opinion, the most beautiful theme in the entire work. A horn melody responds to the piano with the other wind parts following in response. In the development, the piano continues at a blistering pace as the winds have elongated melodies. The movement ends with a typical recap representative of sonata form. The horn leads a three-note motif with the other winds responding during the transition to the coda. The movement ends with the music building in intensity and activity until the final chords.
The recording links are from Les Vents Français’ album Romantique; Radovan Vlatković is the hornist on the album.
The 7 Elements Daily Routine
by Christoph Ess
During the covid pandemic, I started to write down my daily warm-up routine and created a book with many exercises and explanations. I was able to release this book last year, together with play-along videos on my YouTube channel. It features a large number of exercises I have developed for my personal needs, including exercises from my own teachers and professors as well as exercises from masterclasses and workshops through which I have been inspired by other players. These exercises are helping me every day to deal with the different challenges of playing the horn, to remain fit, and to improve myself by their regular use.
I have developed a warm-up and practice system which I am able to adapt and change depending on my daily mood and how much time I have for practicing. The system is divided into seven sections which cover the most important parameters of playing the horn. To me, it is very important to deal with all seven of these issues every day because that enables me to be completely and fully warmed up, even if I have just a little time to practice, to proceed with a rehearsal, a concert, or just another practice session. That is why every section has exercises which I can vary and select according to my situation.
Usually, I try not to start with extreme registers and dynamics. First of all, the muscles have to be warmed up and relaxed, comparable with our athletic activities. Only then can we expand our exercises downwards and especially upwards as well as advance to extreme dynamics.
Another basic principle of my system is to always combine two different parameters into one exercise, such as slow - fast, tongued - slurred, forte - piano in immediate succession so that our lips and the airflow can prepare for the different challenges.
1. Doodle exercises
I start my daily warm-up with some doodle exercises. It's literally about warming up the lips and circulating the blood as well as the activation of the breathing system. DON'T play these exercises in extreme registers but in a relaxed middle range and comfortable dynamics.
2. Air flow
After the doodle exercises, I typically continue with breathing exercises. Airflow is one of the most important aspects of playing the horn. In particular, it's about streaming the air evenly and homogeneously from the first to the last note of a phrase and building a vibrating air column, especially during the transition from one note to another. I always start with the long F horn fingerings (F123 or F13) as the airflow is automatically higher within the long F horn while the air pressure is lower. That helps a lot when we change to the shorter B-flat horn. These exercises should be played with a metronome to control steady air flow. It is useful to play two versions in direct succession: a slow one followed by a fast one, or slurred followed by tongued, for example, in order to phrase steadily during changing tempos and articulations.
3. Sound
The sound forms the emotional basis and heart of one’s performance. It's important to create an even, centered, and straight sound which doesn't shake, and which doesn't lose quality also during a crescendo or decrescendo. It is thus essential to practice making homogeneous dynamic changes during long notes. It's very helpful to use an electronic tuner here to help control intonation and to respond to small changes.
4. Natural horn and flexibility
While playing our modern valve horn, we are constantly "switching" between the many imaginary natural horns and their respective overtone series, but our embouchures (which are responsible for the modifications of muscle tension) and our air speed remain the determining factors for the connection between two overtones. Thus, flexibility is one of the parameters we should exercise daily. I usually start with a small ambitus (melodic range) first and then expand it continuously. During these exercises, I also advance into more extreme registers. All of these natural harmonics exercises are airflow exercises at the same time. Lead the air from the first to the last note and pay attention not to have air “bumps” in your phrase and especially during the transition between tongued and slurred notes.
5. Scales
We have to play scales in almost every piece we play, in most of our etudes and in many excerpts. Scales have to be included in one part of the daily practice in all different keys and variants, major and minor, slow and fast. This section offers many versions of scale exercises.
6. Stability
A steady sound with a good center is essential but also one of the most difficult aspects of playing the horn. We create a warm and resonant sound by playing it rich in overtones. This can be done through playing with a solid center. This is essential for the homogeneity in an orchestral horn group or for chamber music with other musicians as well. These are the most important parameters: to find a stable intonation and an optimal sound balance. We need to make sure that all notes have a good accentuated start. Don't think of a sotto di voce; rather, think of playing chimes. The center should be hit right after the impulse and not after a few milliseconds. The note should have a good, tongued start, but what is even more important is to push the air stream directly afterwards. Each note must be phrased and have an undefined ending on the consonant 'm'. This helps a lot to connect to the next note without a bump. It would make sense to use an electronic tuner here as well.
7. Power
We are progressively developing lip and embouchure strength. We start gently and increase slowly from week to week, not from day to day. When you start practicing again after three weeks off, you will have the impression of quickly being tired and exhausted. Indeed, it often helps to do the daily basics disciplined, without pushing forward into extreme registers. This will make your performance flexible and if you had a good embouchure before it will return soon. Basically, all of the stability exercises from chapter six are also power exercises if you play them into the upper registers.
Watch my warm-up program video masterclass with explanations and sound examples as well as some additional chapters on my YouTube Channel.
Composer Spotlight—Ethel Smyth
by Caiti Beth McKinney
Hello, horn friends!
This month, I’m shining the spotlight on Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944), a British composer and leading figure in the women’s suffragette movement in the United Kingdom. An outspoken woman, Smyth had to fight from the very beginning for her right to compose, since even her own father actively tried to discourage her from pursuing music. She also had to deal with institutional discrimination: when Smyth’s opera, Der Wald, was premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1903, the New York Times dismissed her work as “a disappointing novelty…of vaulting ambitions,” despite its incredible popularity with audiences. (Der Wald was, by the way, the only opera composed by a woman to be performed by the Met until 2016.)
Overcoming these struggles, Smyth released an incredible output of music, including a double concerto for horn, violin, and orchestra. This three-movement work is a joy to listen to, combining beautiful, lyrical lines with quick technical passages. It is difficult not to draw a comparison with the more famous Brahms Trio, especially when one performs the piano reduction of Smyth’s concerto, but Smyth’s work is absolutely on par with the former and deserves more frequent performances.
Horn on Record
by Ian Zook
Volume 9—Ferenc Tarjáni
We’re returning to Hungary for this month’s album, unearthing a piece lost to time by composer Endre Székely and performed by the fabulous virtuoso hornist Ferenc Tarjáni. The Concerto in Memoriam Anton Webern was commissioned by Tarjáni in 1973 and recorded for the Hungaroton label in 1976.
Composer Endre Székely studied with Zoltán Kodály in Budapest and was well-regarded for his work with and compositions for choirs, although he did also compose three wind quintets in the early 1960’s. This concerto is based on a quotation of Anton Webern’s music, which grew from pedagogical analysis Székely made while teaching. (A more detailed description of the music and the form of the piece is printed on the reverse side of the album jacket.)
Hornist Ferenc Tarjáni (1938-2017) was born in Dorog, Hungary and came to the horn after a broken wrist derailed his violin studies at the Béla Bartók School of Music. From 1958 onward, he was the first hornist of the Hungarian Radio Orchestra, and between 1962-1966, he was a prize winner at the international competitions in Geneva, Munich, and Budapest. From 1975 until his retirement, he taught at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music and has many recordings of solo and chamber music to his credit. He was a founding member of the Budapest Chamber Ensemble and the Tarján Horn Quartet, and a member of the Hungarian Wind Quintet. His musical prominence has been acknowledged by the Franz Liszt Prize in 1965 and 1967, and the Bartók-Pászthory Prize in 2002.
This concerto is certainly demanding for the soloist, as several cadenza passages explore the wide range of techniques possible on the horn. This example, bookending low bass grumbles, leads to a climatic horn call accompanied by chattering woodwinds:
A later section uses the horn as a musical conduit, tying together fragmented choruses of woodwinds, brass, and then strings:
Another long cadenza displays Tarjáni’s incredible range and dexterity as the sustained pedal tones are contrasted by increasing exclamatory interjections into the high range, leading to a soaring high E♭:
While this concerto may challenge the listener through its striking tonality and challenging formal construction, it does have moments of repose and beauty. Tarjáni plays with warmth and woodwind-like clarity as the piece concludes:
If you enjoy contemporary horn solos, find yourself a recording on vinyl of this concerto! Since few of these pieces enter the standard repertoire, it is so important that artists like Tarjáni continue to push the boundaries of our instrument and how it can be used in every sonic landscape. Thanks, as always, for reading Horn on Record!
Meet the People—IHS Membership Coordinator
by Elaine Braun, with Clare Gibson
My journey with the horn began in my second year at the University at Buffalo. Initially pursuing a piano major and voice minor, I later switched to the harp as a minor and eventually made the horn my major, studying under the guidance of Lowell Shaw. Throughout my musical pursuits, I never let go of my passion for singing, actively participating in choruses, and taking on leading roles in musical productions. After completing my studies in music education, I embarked on a career teaching both vocal and instrumental music in local schools.
It was in 1972 that I had my first encounter with the International Horn Society at the Indiana Symposium, and I was hooked! Witnessing the exceptional talent of the best players and engaging in conversations with them made a profound impact on me. The following year, I began teaching at Western University in Ontario. There, I instructed private students, taught an education course for non-players (which taught me valuable lessons about introducing beginners to the horn), and led the horn ensemble, performing music that Lowell Shaw had graciously shared with me. It was during my time at the Avignon Symposium that I became the Representative for Canada to the IHS. A few years later, I was honored to be elected to the Advisory Council where I served as Secretary/Treasurer for several years.
During this period, I also had the opportunity to be an exhibitor at the Hornists' Nest table, either alongside Mr. Shaw or independently. It was a delightful experience as it provided me with the chance to meet horn players from all corners of the world, many of whom were eager to acquire Fripperies. In 1999, I began working at the Buffalo Philharmonic where I held various positions, and after three years of working in the library and serving as a copyist for Doc Severinsen, I moved again to the United States, accepting the position of General Manager of the Maryland Symphony in Hagerstown, Maryland. During my tenure there, I organized a Horn Weekend which included a memorable trip to Walter Lawson's horn-building shop in Boonesboro and performing a prelude to the symphony concert that weekend.
Following my time in Maryland, I moved to Erie, Pennsylvania, assuming the same position with the Erie Philharmonic while also directing the Erie Philharmonic Chorus. Eventually, the time came for retirement, and I decided to settle in Nashville to be a helpful grandmother.
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Nashville Horn Hang
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In 2016, I was re-elected to the Advisory Council, but an exciting opportunity arose when the new position of Membership Coordinator was created. Without hesitation, I applied, and in November 2017, I received a call from Jeff Snedeker offering me the position which I began in 2018. In 2019, I was honored to receive the IHS Medal of Honor Service Award which I cherish. Presently, I engage in various musical endeavors, playing in the Nashville Community Concert Band, singing in the Vanderbilt Community Chorus, and conducting the Nashville Horn Hang. I am proud to have been a member of the International Horn Society since 1972 and eagerly anticipate attending my 45th Symposium in Montréal.
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Nashville Community Concert Band horn section
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