Horn Tunes September/October Challenge

During the months of September and October, I want to challenge you to create a song transcription for horn. Classical, popular, folk . . . it doesn’t matter. The only rule is that the song must either be in the public domain or you have the rights to arrange and publish the song.

Transcribing a song is more than just transposing the pitches. I urge you to think of the phrasing and articulation created by the words in your song. How will you notate this in your transcription?

I look forward to your submissions! Please include the original song with the text when you send your transcription.

Please send submissions in PDF format to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line “Horn Tunes.”

Anna Leverenz
Horn Tunes Editor

2018 IHS Honorees

The International Horn Society is pleased to announce the recipients of the following awards:

Honorary Membership (international impact and the society's highest honor):

Hector McDonald (Principal Horn – Vienna Symphony Orchestra & Concentus Musicus Wien; Professor of Horn – University of Music & Performing Arts, Graz; Head of Brass at the Canberra School of Music, Australia.)
John Clark (jazz horn player and composer)

Punto Awards (regional or national impact)

Randy Gardner (Philadelphia Orchestra, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music)
Richard Seraphinoff (natural horn performer and builder, Indiana University)
John Ericson (Arizona State University)

IHS Service Medal of Honor (service to the IHS)

Heidi Vogel (22 years as IHS Executive Director)

Congratulations to all!

Limited Edition – 50 Symposia IHS T-shirt!

New this Year – Pre-sales of Special T-shirt

Deadline to Order – June 25, 2018

Presale ONLY – Order now, pick-up at the Muncie Symposium (mail delivery after Aug 4 possible for a fee). We will only be ordering shirts based on our Pre-sales, so there will only be an extremely limited number of these shirts for sale at the Symposium. If you do not pre-order, you probably will not get one.

These quality Black T-shirts have designs both front and back. The front design is in Gold Foil and White Ink. The back design is in Gold Foil, White Ink, and Gold Metallic Ink. The back design lists every IHS International Symposium year and location for the last 50 years.

Shirt front – white with gold foil. Shirt back – white and gold metallic ink with gold foil

Due to the special gold foil, two sided design, these shirts are a little more expensive than our usual (one sided) t-shirts. We have tried to keep the price down, but any profits that we make, go towards the expenses that the Society has supporting regional and international workshops, scholarships, publications, composition assistance and the website features.

Detail of shirt back – logo in gold foil

We are hoping to do some large group photos in Muncie where participants and show off their new shirts!

Here’s how it works.

1. Go to www.hornsociety.org/ihs50-shirt
2. Select either: Pickup at IHS50, or, Ship to USA or non-USA address
3. Complete the form under your selection (including size)
4. Pay using your Credit Card or PayPal
5. Wait with bated breath until this summer’s Symposium in Muncie to get your first glimpse of your new shirt!
6. Wear your shirt all week and participate in lots of photo ops!
7. If you simply cannot attend the Muncie Symposium, you can wait by your mailbox for your shirt delivery by USPS Priority Mail, as soon as the Symposium ends. You can still enjoy wearing your shirt at any horn related event and at future Symposia, or even just while practicing.

Shirt prices:

S – XL = $25.00
XXL = $28.00
3XL – 5XL = $31.00

Shipping prices:

Pickup at IHS50 = Free
USA = $6.70 per shirt
Non-USA = $34.25 per shirt (sorry, this is our actual cost)

Philip Farkas Video Available to Members

The French Horn, featuring Professor Philip Farkas, was originally produced and released in 1984 by William G. Paulick for The Brass Emporium (Juneau, Alaska). The IHS has purchased the rights to this video as a service to its members, and divided the original two-hour video into eleven segments corresponding to the original eleven "lessons" filmed by Paulick.

The opportunity to hear the thoughts of such a luminary of horn history provides wonderful insights into why Philip Farkas, a legend in the horn world as a player and teacher, was so respected. As one will see, his warm personality is more evidence of why so many of his students loved him and appreciated his wisdom and guidance. Those who are familiar with Farkas's seminal book, The Art of Horn Playing, will find some familiar themes (well, it is the same person!), but the chance to hear these "pearls" directly from the source is heart-warming and even more profound.

The IHS Advisory Council hopes that members will appreciate this service and encourage students and other younger generations to get in touch with a part of horn history.

Jeffrey Snedeker
President, IHS

New Additions in Online Music Sales

More of the Music of Douglas Hill has been added to Online Music Sales:

Oddities for Horns

These pieces for horn quartet are loosely based upon the odd numbers of each of the titles (i.e., the first movement is titled "Ones"; second movement "Fives"; third movement "Threes"; fourth movement "Nines"; fifth movement “Sevens/Elevens”). They are all "for the fun of it", pure and simple (though not necessarily easy). A jazz-like feel, in its many guises, is always prominent throughout each of these songs and dances.

Road Trip for Two

Throughout these five compact, fun-loving, cartoon-like duets for horns both players share equally the numerous twists and turns as well as harmonic, melodic, metric, and rhythmic stops and starts. The two outside duets invite the players to deal with differing dance styles. Keep On Keepin’ On begins as a lightly swung melody in 5/4 which coasts smoothly into and out of a gentle jazz waltz. In Doodah we finally arrive at our destination, a square dance tune at the hoe down. Along the way, in Round About, we travel through a maze of chromaticism which feels like driving in circles. In Stop and Go we are jostled back and forth amidst whole-tone scales, between machine-like progress, and periodic sudden ‘stopping’ (wordplay intended). Changing Lanes returns to a maze of melodic chromaticisms, this time shifting meters as we move on down the road. ENJOY!

Jazz Sonata

Jazz Sonata for Horn and Piano began as three separate original melodies which morphed into a set of solos for horn titled “Three (Jazz) Fantasies for Horn Alone”. From there the sonata evolved and expanded, adding the piano’s range, percussive powers, and tonal capabilities, which greatly enhanced the melodic materials. Each melodic character is presented, after a brief intro, and is then freely and fully developed. Included in the horn writing are some of the more common extended techniques typical in jazz, including those most effective on the horn, such as vibrato, trills, smears, half-stopped, full-stopped, glissandi, bends, flutter-tongue, and doinks.

Movement I is both playful and soulful, with some “cool” walking bass lines coming in and out of a loping and flowing swing feel notated in 12/8. Movement II revolves freely around a simple song, but then finds itself halting, questioning, shifting somewhat awkwardly between muted and open timbres. Movement III is a light-hearted and sometimes rambunctious jazz waltz in 9/8, dancing through angular melodies, dialoguing between stopped and open horn.

Three (Jazz) Fantasies

Three (Jazz) Fantasies for Horn Alone is a set of unaccompanied solos for the horn based upon three original melodies. The tunes are presented after brief introductions and then freely developed, including some of the most common extended techniques typical in jazz and so very effective on the horn. Each “Fantasie” lasts approximately three minutes. ENJOY!

Blueberry Soup is both playful and soulful, with some “cool” walking bass lines coming in and out of a loping and flowing swing feel notated in 12/8. Not So Sure revolves freely around a simple song, but then finds itself halting, questioning, shifting somewhat awkwardly between muted and open timbres. Jelly Jam is a light-hearted and sometimes rambunctious jazz waltz in 9/8, dancing through angular melodies, dialoguing between stopped and open horn.