by Adam Unsworth, IHS 57 Featured Artist

Each year, I offer a Jazz Horn Seminar to members of the studio at the University of Michigan. It’s quite basic and intended for horn players who are new to playing this style of music. While participation in this class often sparks interest in taking Jazz Improvisation 1, offered by our jazz faculty, the aim of the seminar is not necessarily to create future jazz horn players. Instead, my hope is to provide the horn students an opportunity to approach their instruments from a new angle and with a different mindset. The first step is to largely put aside written notation and rely more on our ears than our eyes. We begin with familiar diatonic warm-up exercises like scales and thirds while learning to play a credible swing feel. Continuing off the page, we memorize the melody and chord changes to a simple jazz standard (My Funny Valentine is our first tune this semester), talk about how to make sense of the chord progression while improvising, then use the melody as a launch pad to generate ideas. 

This class includes plenty of listening. I find that great jazz melodists like Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Art Pepper, and Stan Getz, to name a few, are more relatable to us horn players than highly technical improvisers. We also explore many jazz horn recordings and enjoy the variety of highly personal sounds produced by these artists. It’s amazing the wide range of tone qualities produced when players aren’t concerned with fitting into an ensemble horn section. The ultimate goal of Jazz Horn Seminar is for students to begin to embrace the role of musical creator, rather than their customary role of musical re-creator, where notation serves as the rule book. This is quite a challenge for most horn students and a new skill that requires the willingness to take risks and be vulnerable in front of their colleagues. With practice and repeated reminders to view this musical world as one of freedom, most participants get a nice glimpse of what it’s like to let go and be the originator of their own ideas. 

Jazz Horn Seminar is not mandatory and usually draws interest from six to eight Michigan horn students. Many others are too busy to add this class to their schedule or don’t have interest in jazz. So how can these concepts be applied to the classical repertoire students are preparing for lessons? A good place to start is to ask a student what music they listen to when they want to relax at the end of a long day. The answer, often not classical music, is a clue to what music truly speaks to them and is often music they enjoyed at a young age. Their deep connection to this music makes it innately comfortable, and most likely the style where personal expression will come easily. In my case, I grew up with a father who played jazz piano and listened to a lot of jazz at home as well as an older brother who was on the path to becoming an excellent jazz bassist. As a kid I heard plenty of jazz and had fun playing electric bass in the school big band but concentrated solely on classical music with the horn. Only later while in college did I realize that jazz horn felt close to home for me, and that expressing myself in this style came quite naturally. A memorable a-ha moment came with the realization that the physical and mental ease I experienced playing jazz could be applied to classical solos and orchestral excerpts. This insight was key to my personal path to audition success.  

As teachers and performers, most of us have observed that works deemed important, i.e. Mozart concertos and standard orchestral excerpts, tend to take on a life of their own and can become more arduous than less prominent pieces. We tend to elevate standard repertoire because of the role it plays, or will play, in our audition and professional future. If I encounter a student who has the ability to play a familiar piece at a high level but is struggling with accuracy, energy, or musical expression, I encourage them to try a different approach, a pedagogical trick I call “Version B.” After their initial performance, we go back to the top and play the complete passage again, this time with a fresh interpretation. I tell them that the notes and rhythms are non-negotiable, but on their second attempt to experiment with all the other elements—tone, dynamics, tempo, articulation, phrasing, etc.—with the intent to create a new and spontaneously personal interpretation of this music. Essentially, the student is given permission to generate original musical ideas while continuing to play a piece that has become seemingly difficult and less enjoyable for them. It may take a couple of attempts before they have success with this unusual instruction, but most students get a hint of what it’s like to be inventive with a standard work and leave the lesson excited to try the approach further in the practice room. I should mention that despite my prodding, it is rare for a student to take their “Version B” rendition so far that the style of their Mozart concerto becomes unacceptable. Instead, while focused on the act of creating, their tone becomes more confident and personal while the phrasing expands and becomes more animated. The student’s attention has been drawn to interpreting the concerto rather than playing it perfectly, yet hours of practice, training, and instincts help them maintain the appropriate character. It is exciting to observe students as they renew their sense of freedom and fun with this familiar music. Once a student gets comfortable with the “Version B” approach, it can be applied to orchestral excerpts. Of course there is more to consider here, as being part of an ensemble requires solid knowledge of an excerpt’s musical context, close attention to detail, and the need to follow many years of established performance tradition. Score study and extensive listening are essential for younger players before adding one’s personal touch.

Beyond work with individual students, I’ve employed these concepts in our weekly horn studio class with a “Non-Classical Creative Project.” Students can choose to participate as solo performers, but more often form ensembles of varying sizes and perform as a group. The same instruction is given: consider the music you use to relax at the end of a long day, then write or arrange a short piece to play in class later in the term. Over the years, we’ve enjoyed original horn renditions of many pop tunes, movie music, and some country, rap, and hip-hop. Most importantly, this activity is purely fun and allows students to merge another style of music they love with their instrument. Although the following example doesn’t quite fit the assignment, one of my all-time favorite creative projects was conceived by a quartet of students who performed all four first movements of the Mozart concertos simultaneously! They each started at bar one of their respective concerto, counted their rests, entered when appropriate, and stopped when finished. The group began the performance without announcing the piece or concept, so it was a huge surprise, hilarious to everyone in the room, and even had some moments where it sounded respectable (when the person playing Concerto No. 1 in D was resting, of course).   

I hope the concepts above can give performers, teachers, and students some food for thought when experiencing the potential monotony or burn-out associated with repetitive practicing. While repetition in the practice room is an absolute necessity for becoming the best horn players we can be, a little creativity can make a world of difference!

Adam Unsworth
Professor of Horn
School of Music, Theatre, and Dance
University of Michigan

by Layne Anspach

Hello musicians! This month we will look at Howard Buss’ Island of Enchantment: “Five Vignettes from Puerto Rico” for flute, clarinet, horn, bassoon, and piano. Howard Buss (b. 1951) is an American composer whose work includes instrumental solos, chamber music, symphonic, choral, and band pieces. His works have been performed around the world.

Island of Enchantment was written for clarinetist Kathleen Jones and the 40th Anniversary of Camerata Caribe, and it was premiered on February 5, 2023, in San Juan. The work is in five movements descriptive of Puerto Rico. Sunrise Paints the Land starts with clarinet, flute, and piano presenting melodic content. A trill is passed between players during the opening section, after which the bassoon assumes the melodic lead followed by the clarinet with support from others. The movement is active until the final few bars where the ensemble moves together to conclude.

To the Shore ‘Arecibo’ brings the listener to the town of Arecibo, known for its scenic coastline. The movement opens with ascending patterns from the ensemble followed by the presentation of a short melodic element by bassoon which returns throughout. The A section alternates between busy, thickly scored sections and calm, tranquil ones. The faster B section shares themes between voices: piano, followed by flute, then bassoon. A shortened A section returns to close the movement. Glowing Waters ‘La Parguera’ refers to the bioluminescent waters found at La Parguera which attract tourists to view the nighttime glow. The slow movement is mysterious in nature, marked by dissonant and compact chords in the piano. After the introduction, the clarinet and flute propel the movement forward with short comments from the bassoon. The second section is in compound meter, and bassoon and piano share the melodic responsibility.

The Rain Forest ‘El Yunque’ brings the listener to El Yunque National Forest. The movement opens with four chords presented by the winds followed by an obbligato in the piano. Melodic entrances alternate between winds with staccato interjections. Eventually, the piano passes the obbligato to the flute and clarinet. The opening chords return as a transition to the second section which features cascading entrances of eighth notes between woodwinds and piano. The obbligato returns in the piano for a truncated A section to end the movement. Mongoosian Intrigues is the final movement of the work; while not native to Puerto Rico, mongooses were brought to the island to control rat populations. The movement starts with a tranquil opening but quickly turns to an aggressive and chaotic A section. A wind interlude sets up the B section, which is characterized by foreboding eighth notes in the piano’s left hand while the bassoon carries the melodic material. With little warning, the chaotic A section returns for an exciting conclusion.

by Ian Zook

The rich tradition of choral singing had a pivotal touchstone in 1808 when composer and conductor Carl Friedrich Zelter formed the Singakadamie in Berlin. This group was limited to twenty-five singers who performed four-part songs and sought out new choral repertoire. Soon thereafter, Romantic era composers, including Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms, all composed interesting and evocative choral music that included horns. This month, we will listen to Forest and Hunting Songs of the Romantic Era, performed by the men’s chorus and the horns of the Vienna State Opera, released by The Musical Heritage Society in 1960.

The horn performers on this recording include Roland Berger, solo horn of the Vienna State Opera (coincidentally, this recording dates from his first year in that position at age 23), Friedrich Gabler, solo horn of the Vienna Volksopera and professor at the State Academy, and Roland Barr, Günter Högner, and Hans Fischer who played first, third, and fourth horns respectively in the State Opera. It is worth noting that the traditional membership of the Vienna Philharmonic is based primarily on performance with the State Opera. After successfully auditioning into the Opera and a three-year probationary period, members are then eligible to perform with the Vienna Philharmonic. Berger, Gabler, and Fischer were also students of Gottfried von Freiberg, the former solo horn of the Vienna Philharmonic.

Although this album has many selections which include horns, we will focus on two marvelous choral works, one each by Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann, which deserve our interest as performers.

Franz Schubert’s Nachtgesang im Walde (Nightsong in the Forest), D. 913 for four horns and men’s chorus, was premiered on April 22, 1827 for a benefit concert for famed hornist Josef Rudolf Lewy whose brother, Eduard, also performed. The following year on March 26, 1828, Schubert held a concert commemorating the first anniversary of Beethoven’s death. Once again, the Lewy brothers performed Nachtgesang im Walde, and Josef also premiered Auf dem Strom, D. 943 for tenor, horn, and piano, composed in honor of Beethoven.

Using text by German poet Johann Gabriel Siedle, Nachtgesang im Walde conjures an evocative soundscape of a woodland night that becomes alive with the encroaching dawn. The opening uses the horns’ sound both to reinforce the chorus and provide a gentle echoing effect, set to text descriptive of clandestine forest meetings, echoing steps, and silvery moon beams:

The mood shifts as the poem turns to the waking of dawn with the rousing sound of horns. A gallop ensues with descriptions of birds, deer, and swaying treetops punctuated by the choir’s articulation and the driving rhythm in the horns:

Robert Schumann is also well-known to hornists for his Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70 and the Konzertstück, Op. 86, both composed in his very productive compositional year of 1849. Less well-known are his Jagdlieder, Op. 137, a set of five songs for men’s chorus and horn quartet from May of the same year. The score calls for three Waldhörner with the 4th part designated for Ventilhorn. Schumann was pioneering in his use of valved horn, but likely chose the designation and assigned keys of F, E, and D for a more rustic horn sound fitting the text of these hunting songs. It also would have been necessary for the Waldhorn players to use ample hand technique as Schumann’s chromaticism frequently uses pitches outside the harmonic series.

Schumann chose to adapt poems from Heinrich Laube’s Jagdbrevier (Hunting Anthology), a collection of poems celebrating the permission for the German middle class to hunt, a luxury permitted previously only to the nobility.

The first song, Zur hohen Jagd (On the High Hunt), begins with a rousing hunting melody for the horns, who in turn provide rhythmic and tonal support for the chorus. The text is descriptive of the joys of hunting, and the gifts of the forest, as well as the sun, rain, and wind. The rollicking compound meter and thick articulation of the Vienna horn adds terrific heft to the voices:

The fourth song, Frühe (Early), is contrasting, marked Langsam and moving to the key of D minor. The horn parts are more intertwined and less homophonic, just as the voice parts have increased independent motion. Schumann bends the harmonies to create palpable tension, allowing the horns to sound a brief concluding chorale accentuated by a soaring high C#:

The final song in the set, Bei der Flasche (With the Bottle), is a celebration of the German hunting tradition, ending with the text, “For the hunt is in our blood!” The horns again provide support for the voices, breaking only to punctuate the piece with a final flourish:

The horns of the Vienna State Opera play with a lyrical and legato quality throughout, allowing their sound to surge forward with burnished excitement, and exuding all the best characteristics of our historic hunting horn.

Thank you, as always, for reading Horn on Record!

by Inman Hebert

Greetings to all horn players, and happy 2025! As I pondered my New Year’s resolutions, making a horn-specific list struck me. Looking back at famous quotations that inspire me, I came up with a few key ideas that should make any horn student’s New Year’s list.

First and foremost, as horn students, we resolve to practice and commit to our instruments. Through the whirlwind of college and personal life, we can never lose sight of our desires to improve. We must commit to consistent, dedicated work on the instrument to achieve our goals. As the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, said, “Your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.”

The ability to block out the distractions of everyday life and concentrate on the instrument underlies our resolve to succeed. American author Kurt Vonnegut once claimed, “The secret to success in any human endeavor is total concentration.” When we play the horn, we must be reminded to block out the outside world and give the instrument the full mental attention it necessitates.

In our ongoing quests to improve on the horn, moments of doubt, or even failure, will undoubtedly occur. Instead of being discouraged, we can ameliorate these occasions and use them as learning experiences. As the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu avowed, “Failure is the foundation of success, and the means by which it is achieved.” Our response to adversity can propel us to the improvement we seek.

The manner in which we approach and maintain our goals in 2025 can determine the success and productivity of the year. I encourage all students to consider their commitment to practice, their focus, and their approach to failure to help them navigate the new year.