Chamber Music Corner—Ernő Dohnányi’s Sextet Op. 37 (1935)
by Layne Anspach
Hello musicians!
Ernő Dohnányi (1877-1960) was a Hungarian pianist, conductor, teacher, and composer. He was born in Pozsony, now Bratislava, where he was musically trained by the cathedral organist and his father. He finished his formal training in piano and composition at the Budapest Academy. Dohnányi quickly achieved recognition for his skills as a pianist, cementing himself as both a soloist and composer in Europe and the USA by 1900. This acclaim led to positions at the Hochschule in Berlin and the Budapest Academy. While at the Budapest Academy, he taught piano and composition, eventually becoming the director. Through the difficulties surrounding World War II, he eventually found his way to Florida State University as composer-in-residence from 1949 until his death.
While bedridden with thrombosis for a few months, Dohnányi wrote the Sextet for Piano, Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 37, which was his final chamber work. The first movement, Allegro appassionato, begins with piano and cello providing the foundation for the opening. The other voices interject with the horn leading the first statement. While itself not overly bright, the opening theme is countered by a dark second statement in unison strings and piano. The piano cascades downward into another character, and all this occurs within the first minute. The entire movement can be described as tempestuous with only hints of calm and tranquility; the twists and turns warrant a close listen.
The second movement, Intermezzo, adagio, begins with a tranquil scene set by strings and piano. The serenity is broken with the introduction of a march, led by the piano. The tranquility of the opening returns, this time including the winds. The movement ends with the tranquil theme and a short interruption by the march. The third movement, Allegro con sentimento, features a loose set of variations. The clarinet presents the melody with string accompaniment. There is a definitive change at the Presto which emulates a scherzo. A lush section, Meno mosso, follows with all voices. Prior to the end of the movement, the horn presents the theme from the first movement, setting up an attacca into the final movement.
The final movement, Allegro vivace, giocoso, starts with a light theme in the piano, which is passed to the clarinet. The ensemble descends into a haphazard waltz seemingly by accident. After a few attempts to break away from the waltz, the ensemble finds its way back to the initial theme. Then, the theme from the first movement finds its way back as the movement comes to a victorious conclusion.
The reference recording features hornist Alec Frank-Gemmill.
South Asia—Classically Challenged
by Vidhurinda Samaraweera
“Pa pa pa Paaa…. Pa pa pa Paaa” (pause).
I am certain that anyone reading this article will instantly recognize the motif illustrated. Yes, it is the opening of Beethoven’s well-known Fifth Symphony. This landmark work is likely being performed at multiple locations around the world as you are reading this or is, at least, programmed for an upcoming concert. Be that as it may, the last time Beethoven’s Fifth was performed in Sri Lanka was approximately 12 years ago by the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka (SOSL) under the direction of German conductor, Dr. Hans Nagel. Unfortunately, the concert was not a success as had been hoped. Dry acoustics in the newly built concert hall and the technical inadequacies of some sections were likely contributing reasons. I was contracted to fill in as second horn for the performance as a young 14-year-old. Of course, I had an older player on first to guide me, someone who had played the symphony multiple times during his tenure.
Although Beethoven’s Fifth is considered a staple in an orchestral musician’s extensive repertoire, one would be surprised to learn that it is not frequently performed in Sri Lanka—or in this part of the world. Even though I have orchestral experience, having performed on the island for over 14 years, the 2024/25 Season opening concert of the Gustav Mahler Orchestra of Colombo, held on June 15, marked only my second time performing this masterpiece. (I personally do not know of other orchestral musicians around the world who would have experienced similar infrequent performances. This is one reason why I appreciate your feedback to my articles; they allow me to get a better reading of the global orchestral landscape.) The handful of orchestras currently operating in Sri Lanka having specific performance goals, and the irregularity of concerts is likely to have contributed to a lack of frequency. I must also note the tough economic circumstances with which most of our people are burdened, leading classical music aficionados to reconsider even the simple purchase of a concert ticket.
Nevertheless, playing Beethoven’s Fifth on a modern instrument (for the lack of period instruments) was a pleasant experience. The 12-year hiatus caused us to savor the work that much more. As much as it is difficult to replicate the timbre of the natural horn—the alternating open and stopped or partially stopped notes on the modern instrument in the manner Beethoven would have imagined—treading the tutti parts while not upsetting the overall balance of a Beethovenian orchestra proved to be a delicate operation. The initial horn call which transitions to the second theme of the first movement was fun to play but, giving some “oomph” to the opening statement of the second half of the movement was even more satisfying. The second movement was particularly enjoyable, especially playing the heroic theme with the trumpets, all the while restraining ourselves so as not to overplay the orchestra.
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(L-R) Jude Fernando and Vidhurinda Samaraweera, horns
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My ever-loyal comrade on second horn did not let me down in the third movement where we led the orchestra to establish the faster tempo. I like to think that horns bring clarity during calamity in the third movement. The fourth movement is full of excitement, yet the pivotal role the horns play often goes unnoticed. The two fanfares which lead up to the presto, bolstering the piccolo, are both delicate and uplifting. To play alongside the fellow members of the brass section in the finale almost feels like the final fight scene in a Kung-Fu Panda movie!
The biggest challenge when performing Beethoven was the range Beethoven covered with the brass section. From the high-flying trumpets to the three-member trombone choir (featured in a symphony for the first time ever), covering the wide range was too much to ask since there was no alto trombone available on the island. Thus, the original alto trombone part was covered by a third horn player. Interestingly, there is a revised edition of the trombone parts to suit the modern orchestra where the alto trombone line is not notoriously high. The tenor and bass trombone parts were not different from the original and revised editions. The performance was, ultimately, a bringing together of new and old.
Why I focused on performing Beethoven’s Fifth is two-fold: first, to note some horn highlights in this under-appreciated work which are both glorious and subtly virtuosic; and second, to bring some perspective to readers of this Newsletter. I am aware that Horn and More is read by enthusiasts from different parts of the world. While we all accept that music is a universal language, we can also acknowledge that music-making is not the same for everyone. We live in different conditions depending on the part of the globe in which we live. Some of us have valuable resources—great teachers, vaster knowledge, cultural context, more orchestras, libraries, etc.—available, whereas in some communities, these can be hard-to-afford luxuries. In this beautiful month of July, I’d like to leave with you an important message: cherish your resources, regardless of how little you may think of them, and do not think twice to share with those in need.
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(L-R): Dharmasri Jayantha, Nuwan Gunawardhana, Prasanna Kumara, trombones;
Senira Prematillake, Jude Fernando, Vidhurinda Samaraweera, horns |
Composer Spotlight—Vivian Fine
by Caiti Beth McKinney
Hello horn friends!
This month, I would like to introduce you to the music of prolific composer Vivian Fine (1913-2000). Fine studied composition under one of the founders of the modernist movement, Ruth Crawford Seeger, and was a member of Aaron Copland’s Young Composers Group with other major composers such as Bernard Herrmann.
Fine’s compositional style is a far cry from last month’s composer, Margaret Bonds; while Bonds firmly inhabited the realm of tonality, Fine’s often angular and dissonant works are more challenging on first listen but are fascinating studies of texture and contrapuntal writing. She composed well over 140 pieces of music, from orchestral pieces and operas to a variety of chamber works, several of which used the horn to great effect. Her 1991 work, Hymns, a substantial eight-minute chamber piece for two pianos, horn, and cello, is atmospheric, alternating moments of thick voicing with solo lines to create incredible colors. There’s an especially interesting moment in the second movement, “Toward the Distant Shore,” with unison cello, horn, and piano in the low register of all three instruments, while the second piano floats on top. (Visit her website to hear Hymns and other works.)
Fine also composed a woodwind quintet entitled Dancing Winds (1987), which musicologist Heidi Von Gunden described in The Music of Vivian Fine, “…the title is descriptive—the instruments express themselves as dancers and also relate to each other in dance-like fashion. The piece is in four sections, and the textures and tempi resemble a baroque dance format of slow, fast, slow, fast…. The slow first movement, “Andante molto,” features the quintet as a composite instrument, with long phrases created by different pairings amongst the group…. Although dissonance is present, it is not the focal point…. Counterpoints of spacious ascending and descending gestures, long phrases, and some exchange and reordering of material give the first section a graceful ballet-like character.”
Fine composed several other pieces for horn, including Songs and Arias (1990), a work for horn, violin, and cello commissioned by David Jolley, and Quartet for Brass (1978), both of which are well worth a listen or a performance!
Student Column—Thoughtful Listening
by Inman Hebert
Throughout my first year of college, the word “listen” has been a central theme. From teachers asking me to listen to specific recordings of solo repertoire to conductors asking us to study our music to theory professors sharing examples of concepts, listening has proved critical to the music student experience. While music permeates our lives during the school year, the silence of summer removes us from these constant reminders. Even in this time of relative quiet, the concept of listening can still offer us opportunities to grow as musicians. Hearing music with thoughtful attention is a frequently suggested but often forgotten skill for horn students. Listening to ourselves and to the form, harmony, melody, rhythm, and expressiveness in recordings can be made intrinsic to our daily routines.
Music has been described as the universal language, and learning any language requires immersion. To become proficient, students should start with active and dedicated listening. When working on a piece of solo repertoire, such as Mozart 4, the internet allows us to discover the classic Dennis Brain recording and modern interpretations from the famous horn players of this generation. With these recordings, we can analyze the intricacies and musical expressions of the soloists, from different tempos to stylistic choices to different cadenzas. Such exploration allows us to understand how to form our own nuanced interpretations.
The summer also offers students opportunities to grow in their understanding of the orchestral repertoire that we study. For each excerpt we learn, we should know our role in both the greater orchestra and in the horn section. Listen to recordings of complete symphonies, concertos, tone poems, operas, or other works to better understand each excerpt in its complete setting. As with solo repertoire, we can listen for the different interpretational styles of conductors and seek to comprehend how each excerpt fits into the broader context of the work. By noticing these differences, we can learn to make subtle musical choices in an excerpt while still playing in an appropriate style for the piece.
Reviews of college curriculums will show aural skills classes as part of every musician’s training; however, using that training in practice with the horn may be the most overlooked aspect of listening. Intonation is a fundamental skill for playing successfully in an ensemble and should be incorporated into our practice. While a visual tuner can improve intonation, daily practice with drones teaches students to match intonation aurally rather than visually. Adjusting each note according to its role in a chord with drone practice, rather than a set tuning standard, trains our ears to hear and respond. We must develop our aural sense so that we can learn to trust our ears and adapt.
Making time to listen can have immense benefits for our musical development. Practicing with drones helps us apply our aural skills directly to our intonation on the instrument, improving our ability to blend in an ensemble. Listening to the vast library of recordings on the internet, both solo repertoire and orchestral works, can inform our practice and musical choices. Dedicating daily time to listening, both within and outside one’s dedicated practice time, can accelerate our maturation as musicians.
Research to Resonance—Beyond Mental Discipline
by Katy Carnaggio
Why do negative experiences have such a strong hold on our progress with the horn? that one disastrous performance that clouds your practice with anxiety? the critical voice of a mentor you can’t get out of your head, inspiring defensive drills over artful exploration? or perhaps a serious issue that makes you want to avoid the instrument altogether?
You might think rumination is the problem, right? Well, not exactly. If overcoming a difficult experience with your horn was as simple as banishing negative thoughts, you would have moved past it months ago. The issue isn’t about needing more mental discipline. The issue is that it’s not all in your head!
Hear me out.
Our minds aren’t disembodied computers that we can program to process, store, and retrieve information at will. Our minds are inextricably linked to our physical bodies, deeply influenced by our surroundings. Or, as a fascinating theory within embodied cognition suggests, person and environment are inseparable. People cannot exist without the environment surrounding them. Environment implies that there is a person (or sentient being) to be surrounded.
Embracing embodied cognition is the key to transforming a troublesome relationship with the horn because if you focus solely on changing your internal narrative, you'll find yourself in a constant tug-of-war with an external world that tells a different, more tangible story.
In other words: it doesn’t matter if you manage your self-talk, write off whoever made you feel “less than,” and do your best to focus in the practice room if you’re not also addressing your environment.
Our environment includes mediums, objects, surfaces, and people who perceive and behave within them.
Environments are subjective, meaning no two people can experience the same environment in precisely the same way. Two people in the same room can’t sit in the same chair, at the same height, with the same eyesight and sensory experiences. Instead, we sit in different chairs, with different lines of vision, in different bodies, experiencing differing sensations, with different sensitivities, points of attention, and memories.
Objects within our environment may seem like separate fixtures, but many of them can become integral and operative parts of our body's processes. More simply put: objects can transform from environmental features into tools.
For example, a dress flung on the floor of my bedroom is an obstacle to step over or a surface that hides my missing shoe. But when I wear that dress, it becomes a tool. It moderates heat loss, changes the texture, color, and expressive qualities of my body’s surface, and modulates my emotions. If it fits well and I enjoy its qualities, I feel confident. If it’s wrinkled or unflattering, I might feel insecure.
Objects around us can become deeply personal extensions of ourselves. They can be used to extend our reach, strengthen our efforts, amplify our voices, and store our thoughts. This capacity to attach something to the body that influences its processing suggests that the boundary between us and our environment isn’t fixed at the surface of our skin. There is no absolute distinction between the subjective and objective.
Even a dress, which might objectively be viewed as an article of clothing, has infinite possibilities for use. When tied to a stick, it can bestow respect and pride to the winning team in a game of capture the flag. It can be the roof to a corner room of a fort you’ve built with your little brother. Or it can be one link to freedom when tied to a bunch of other clothes and hung out your second-floor window to sneak out to a party.
Theoretically, an object's action possibilities (affordances) are revealed through its characteristics, rather than stored in our minds. In other words, objects share with us how they might be used depending on our capabilities. We come to understand these possibilities through perspective, experience, and exposure.
Take that dress on the floor, for example. Initially, it was just a pretty dress. But after wearing it on a rainy day, to your dismay, you see its white material becomes transparent when wet. Now, you recognize that this dress has additional affordances that can evoke embarrassment and stress.
Social and cultural norms we’ve absorbed since birth also shape our expectations and preferences for how something might be used, imposing limits on what is acceptable, valuable, and appreciable.
In embodied cognition, it becomes beautifully and maddeningly clear that we don’t process a similar world through a centralized computer brain, where the only difference between us might be the make and model of our processor.
Instead, we navigate the world through a continuous interaction with our physical surroundings. Our perception, action, and cognition are all interconnected with the environment, shaping how we move, behave, and learn.
The world and the objects within it tell us unique stories.
Many of us fell in love with the horn because it is a tool that turns breath into sound. It amplifies our voice. It can communicate in ways more truly and completely than words can. It affords beauty, power, fun, transcendence, connection—and yes, the ability to gross people out with a simple twist of a tube (say it with me: it’s condensation).
But what do you do when your experiences with the horn become less like a capture-the-flag-victory dress and more like a rainy-day-shame-white dress? when the experiences you’ve had taught you that the horn is full of possibilities that are not only beautiful but painful, judgmental, or worse?
Untangling painful affordances from our love for the horn can seem daunting, but the secret is to start with one small thread.
It looks like this:
- → Building your morning practice routine around safety and positivity by setting clear boundaries of who and what gets to be a part of your practice.
- → Using resources like The Kindness Method to cultivate a new practice or performance behavior in line with who you want to be and how you want to feel.
- → Incorporating your signature character strengths in your approach, so when you pick up the instrument, you are working from your favorite personal qualities.
- → Practicing along with guided motivation activations when negative narratives get too loud (try the Super Human App).
- → Seeking mentorship with discernment. While charisma and great horn playing are inspiring, seek mentors who listen, believe in you, and align with your goals, as they can help you see new possibilities and expand your perspective.
Our approach to the horn shares common features, much like our environments do, connecting us to people all around the world. Yet, it’s in our unique differences that our practice transforms into artistry. How do you want to feel and sound and be on horn? Who and what gets to be communicated in the sounds you create? What gets to be in your mind when you touch the horn? Exploring these tools can help you craft a world of messages that honor the very best parts of you.
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IHS 56—Horns on the Horizon
by John McGuire
Greetings from Ft. Collins! IHS 56 is just around the corner, and we are busier than ever finalizing all the details to make this the best experience for everyone. Between all of the featured artists, contributing artists, exhibitors, lectures, masterclasses, competitions, and much more, we are sure there will be something for everyone.
As you prepare for your trip to Colorado, we want to give you some advice for your time here. First, make sure to plan on drinking lots of water while you're here. Ft. Collins is beautiful, but we live in a rather arid climate. It is very easy to get dehydrated quickly. Between the high-altitude and dry air, you may develop a headache that can make you uncomfortable. Drinking plenty of water will help prevent or alleviate that. You'll notice many people here carrying water bottles. And we've got you covered—IHS 56 water bottles will be available for sale…a great souvenir of your time here.
Speaking of high-altitude, Ft. Collins is almost 5000 feet (1525 meters) above sea level. As soon as you arrive, you will notice the thinner air. Going up a flight of stairs can leave you winded. And if you would like to get out to go for a walk or a run, you will definitely notice the thinner air. Remember to simply leave a little extra time if you are walking somewhere. And yes, you will absolutely notice the altitude when you play your horn. Plan to take more breaths than normal.
Next, please remember your sunscreen, hat, and protective clothing. It's the middle of summer in Ft. Collins, and because of the thinner air, you can more easily get a sunburn. Trust me, as someone who hasn't always been good about remembering sunscreen, you will regret getting a sunburn here.
The last bit of advice I have for IHS56 is simple: enjoy yourself! The IHS 56 team has worked long and hard to put on a great event, and we are proud to welcome you to Colorado State University. You will be inspired, get goosebumps, and be motivated. Meet as many new friends and colleagues as you can. Take in every event you can attend. And please remember that there will be a lot of people here. Patience is always a virtue at large events like this. Almost everything will go according to plan. Some things will not. Regardless, your IHS 56 team will be here to help, and we will work tirelessly for you and for the horn playing community—just as we have for almost two years now!
We look forward to seeing you all very soon. Safe travels!
Album Release: New Hornology
by Arkady Shilkloper
The album, New Hornology, is a continuation of my solo works, recorded using the overdubbing method. Previous albums, Hornology (1998), Pilatus (2000), and Zum Gipfel und Zurück: Neue Alphornmusik (2006), all received rave reviews from fans, journalists, and friends, and especially from fellow horn and alphorn players.
The concept for all the albums is the same: to share my own stories with the listeners, and to show the range of timbral, technical, harmonic, aesthetic, and other capabilities of the instruments, including horn, alphorn, kuhlohorn, etc.
All compositions and arrangements are my own, but in the last piece, "Tale for Alexandra” (dedicated to my daughter), at the request of the producer, a string quartet was added to the version from the original Hornology album. The arrangement was made by Ksenia Akimkina. The result is something that can be defined as “a fresh breath of tradition,” the old composition having acquired new colors.
The stylistic spectrum of the new album is quite broad. There is a memory of the river and the German city of Wuppertal in Nordrhein-Westfalen, where I first lived when I emigrated to Germany (as a "Wupper"), and also a "Chorale" dedicated to the memory of our outstanding colleague Hermann Baumann, of whom I once asked a bit shyly, “Dear Hermann, have you listened to my album Hornology, which I presented to you at the last IHS Symposium?” To this, Hermann, with his characteristic emotionality and liveliness, replied, “Arkady, I have your album loaded in my car! I listen to it regularly when I’m traveling somewhere.” It was very flattering to receive this compliment from such a great hornist.
The album also contains a nod to the Balkan “Take Seven” (a musical allusion to the famous jazz standard “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck), the traditional Alpine “Edelweiss,” a solo version of my old hit “Cobra,” and a completely new composition, “Blues on Seven.”
I hope that this new album will be positively received by my colleagues around the world, and that it will open new horizons in understanding how universal, amazing, wonderful, unique, irreplaceable, etc. our instrument is.
