Step One-Two-Three
by Fokke van Heel
During my career as a player and teacher, I have increasingly come to realize how important and essential it is to involve my entire body in my technique. Among other things, I have benefitted greatly from Alexander Technique lessons to gain this awareness. Our instrument needs a balance between strength and flexibility, and in order to continue to develop myself, it was, and continues to be, necessary to try to explore that balance. Moreover, it makes practicing extra interesting and fun.
Below is a simple basic exercise that can be the start of new discoveries every day. Enjoy!
‘Step One-Two-Three’ – an exercise for all
In your practice room, you may want to add the following exercise, applicable to all levels of playing:
Step 1. Play a long tone, preferably a mezzo-forte note in the middle range.
Step 2. Ask yourself during this tone: “Can I relax anything in my body?”
The shoulders may be the easiest body part to begin with:
Your shoulders relax…great!
But…your intonation drops and your tone gets softer…not so great.
Step 3. Restore Intonation and Dynamic
Restore the intonation by lowering your soft palate a bit using the vowel E.
Restore the dynamic by intensifying the airstream.
Result: same good tone as in step 1, same pitch, same dynamic, but more relaxed shoulders and embouchure.
Simply said, you changed the energy in your playing: same quantity of energy, different quality. This is not the energy from the squeezing in your lips and the tension in your shoulders (step 1), but energy from more effort in your diaphragm and from singing in the back of your oral cavity.
What happened?
Obviously releasing the tension in your shoulders (or, in this exercise, any other part of your body) was helpful in step 1 to obtain a controlled and stable tone. But in step 2, we learn that these ‘helpful’ shoulders also cause tension in your lips and in your diaphragm, otherwise the pitch and dynamic would not have dropped.
Now both diaphragm and lips are more relaxed, but also less powerful.
To regain the steady tone you had in step 1, you need the new activity in step 3:
- In the embouchure: muscles towards and in your cheeks will be activated by saying the E-vowel in the soft palate. Challenged by the faster airstream, they take over the work of your central lip muscles.
- In the diaphragm: new, subtly different muscles will be activated to create a faster, less forced airstream.
Both new activities take a while to become strong and energetic enough, but when this has become your normal way of playing then this is your new step 1 and you can start over again…a never ending voyage of discovery!
A couple of tips:
- In a way, step 1 is the most important. Play your note like you always do, almost without thinking.
- Do not already compensate in step 2, let it happen and listen.
- If you find it hard to relax specific muscles (e.g. your buttocks or in your pelvis area), then first give those muscles even more tension, then relax, and now you feel where to relax even a bit further.
- Since, in step 3, you are using more of the vowel E, your sound may initially get too bright and lose a bit of warmth. After a while (day/days), you will regain the balance in your embouchure (between central and decentralized), and your sound will be back, with more overtones as a result of the relaxation.
- Direct the faster airstream to your soft palate rather than to your lips.
- At first, this exercise needs one long tone, but it can also be done in approx. 4 seconds.
- Once happy with step 3 (same pitch, same dynamic), try to stay in that position and challenge the new muscles. Make sure to take many pauses!
- Preferably, do not do this exercise before a performance but rather at the end of the day. Give your developing muscles time to recover overnight.
If you do not like to reflect on your playing through this exercise, I completely understand; it comes with temporary instability and your embouchure will change.
However, with curiosity you will discover and improve endlessly!
Fokke van Heel has served as principal horn in the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra/Netherlands Chamber Orchestra since 1998. He was professor at the Artez Conservatory in Zwolle and is currently teaching at the Sweelinck Academy of the Conservatory of Amsterdam. He has been a member of the faculty of the Prisma Festival in British Columbia, Canada, since 2015.
Chamber Music Corner—Rimsky-Korsakov’s Quintet
by Layne Anspach
Hello musicians!
The next quintet for piano and winds that we will explore is Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Quintet in B-flat major for Piano and Winds (1876). As a well-known composer, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s (1844-1908) biography is easily accessible, and so I will only highlight a limited biographical background. He was part of “The Five,” a group of Russian composers which was strongly against formal training. Rimsky-Korsakov derailed his relationship with “The Five” when he accepted a position at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1871. He wrote a wide range of works and composed several notable transcriptions and arrangements.
In 1876, Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the Quintet in B-flat major for a competition, in addition to his Sextet for strings. While the sextet received an award, the quintet did not fare as well. Rimsky-Korsakov, as he noted in his autobiography, claimed that the musicians assigned to perform his work were inferior to those who were assigned to the winning piece. To back up his claim, he noted that a later performance of the quintet at a St. Petersburg Chamber Music Society concert was to “the pleasure of the audience.”
The first movement of the Quintet is marked Allegro con brio and is in sonata form. The movement starts with a repetitive eighth note pattern in the piano with bassoon playing the melody. After an ensemble tutti, the piano carries on alone, building momentum. The second theme features winds alone, eventually incorporating the piano. The development features the first theme in various keys, first with horn then followed by other winds. The recapitulation begins as expected, but the second theme is altered, featuring only the piano, then the bassoon enters to replace the flute. The Poco piu mosso pushes the coda to an energetic conclusion.
The second movement, Andante, features a typical Russian compositional technique where a melodic phrase is repeated while changing the harmonic background. The horn presents the theme throughout while the winds and piano provide the harmonic variations. This technique results in a fair amount of repetition, but a close listen to the changes is a rewarding experience. In this movement, Rimsky-Korsakov incorporates an attractive fugue in b-flat minor.
The third and final movement, Rondo: Allegretto, is supported by a bassoon ostinato throughout which gives a bouncing, playful feel. Atypical of the other movements, Rimsky-Korsakov includes a lengthy fugue for piano alone. An Agitato follows, led by the clarinet and then horn, adding a brooding character which contrasts the more playful sections. If there wasn’t already enough happening in this movement, Rimsky-Korsakov features cadenzas for all voices except bassoon. The bassoon brightens the mood with the final return of the primary theme. Piu vivo and the subsequent Vivace push the entire work to a dramatic conclusion carried by the piano.
The reference recording features hornist Radovan Vlatković.
Saudações!
Saudações!
Espero que estejam bem e que tenham tido um verão retemperador e refrescante, para poderem enfrentar a nova temporada cheio de energia e entusiasmo. Será, certamente, uma temporada desafiante, com muitas atividades e eventos em que a trompa e os seus intérpretes terão papel de destaque. É sempre um momento ótimo para planear a nossa agenda com as nossas atividades, mas também com aquelas que não se podem perder. Não faltarão oportunidades para quem procura melhorar as suas habilidades musicais ou, simplesmente, desfrutar do nosso maravilhoso instrumento.
Aí claramente já estou ansioso pelo IHS57, que irá decorrer de 24 a 28 de Junho de 2025 na James Madison University em Harrisonburg. Irei acompanhar todas as novidades e atualizações que o anfitrião Ian Zook, anfitrião nos trará nos próximos meses (incluindo nesta Newsletter).
A brilhante equipa da ‘Horn and More’ preparou uma interessantíssima edição para outubro, com vários artigos de várias origens que demonstram o quão abrangente é o nosso mundo da trompa.
Esta edição marcará a última contribuição de Daniel Grabois como Editor da Coluna Pedagógica. Uma palavra de agradecimento pelo fantástico trabalho que desenvolveu e pelos excelentes artigos que nos disponibilizou. Artigos para ler uma e outra vez e arquivar para futuras consultas. Obrigado Dan e continuação de muitos sucessos!
Como vice-presidente e coordenador internacional da IHS queria deixar duas últimas notas que considero muito relevantes. Se segue a nossa Newsletter com interesse e valoriza todo o trabalho altruísta feito pela equipa da ‘Horn and More’, e pela IHS em geral, por favor considere ser membro da nossa associação, caso ainda não o seja. Com a sua contribuição e apoio poderemos ser uma associação ainda mais forte, inclusiva e internacional. Em segundo lugar, caso seja membro pondere envolver-se com a IHS de forma ativa, há muitas formas de o fazer! Mantenha-se conectado com a nossa webpage
Tenha uma grande temporada 24/25 e “let the bell ring”!!
Bernardo Silva, Vice-Presidente da IHS
Composer Spotlight—Odette Gartenlaub
by Caiti Beth McKinney
Hello all!
Happy Fall! This month I would love to share with you the music of French composer Odette Gartenlaub (1922-2014). Her work for horn and piano, Pour le Cour (1968) is quickly becoming a staple in our repertoire, and her accomplishments during her lifetime are well worthy of remembrance.
Not much is now known about Odette’s early years, other than the fact that she was an incredibly skilled pianist at a young age, winning a first-place performance award at the Paris Conservatoire when she was only fourteen. She continued studying at this prestigious institution until 1941, learning composition from Darius Milhaud, Olivier Messiaen, and others; however, in 1940, the Nazis occupied Paris and began enforcing strict bans aimed at anyone of Jewish heritage. As a result, Gartenlaub was no longer able to continue her musical education. After the war, Odette once again earned professional success and acclaim, becoming the sixth woman to ever win the famous Prix de Rome competition in composition. She even went on to become a professor at the Conservatoire in 1959, the very school which had once been forced to bar her access.
Pour le Cour follows in the grand tradition of French compositions for horn, with great technical challenges interspersed with lyrical lines. The piece begins with an eerie extended passage for horn alone, with the eventual entrance of an equally spooky piano accompaniment, all leading to a long, dramatic lip trill which propels the work into a frenzied second section. Filled with large leaps, glissandi, and movement up and down the horn’s register, this piece shows off just about every skill a horn player can possess, and it makes a great challenge for anyone looking to tackle such a satisfying work. Enjoy!
Research to Resonance—Direction Beats Location
by Katy Carnaggio
Sometimes, the only thing standing between you and your best performance is asking, “What if I could?”
Each day, we carry assumptions about what we can and can’t do, often shaped by past performances, insecurities, or judgments. These thoughts can quietly hold us back, keeping us in a box of “I’ve never done that before” or “I’ve never been great at that.” But what if you flipped the script?
Each day, separate yourself from your memories and judgments about who you are, the sounds you make, or what you can do. Instead, look to the part of you that simply can. Ask yourself, “What if I could? And if I could, how would I?” What would that look and feel like today?
- If I could play with a massive, ringing sound, what would I do to create that?
- If I could stay cool, calm, and collected under pressure, what would I do in that moment?
We often have such fixed ideas of what our abilities should be that we become disconnected from what they could be. But when you assume, today, that anything is possible—that you can—you start finding ways to make that assumption true.
And if you can train yourself to walk closer and closer toward that person who can, where you are matters far less than where you’re headed. Direction is more important than location. So, choose a direction and walk towards the you that can!
Hornscapes CD (Parte 2)
por Ricardo Matosinhos
Uau, setembro passou num instante! Agradeço a todos que contribuíram para a minha campanha de crowdfunding, que superou largamente o objetivo inicial.
Nasci em Portugal e divido as minhas atividades musicais entre o ensino, a performance e a composição. O chamado "triângulo da plenitude musical", tal como descrito por Douglas Hill, é também complementado pela investigação. Consequentemente, várias das minhas composições são inspiradas em aspetos pedagógicos. Sou também autor de vários artigos e livros, incluindo um livro infantil que adaptei para um musical. A criatividade está sempre presente, e, no fim de contas, as minhas atividades são sustentadas por um polígono com uma infinidade de lados.
Neste CD estão incluídas seis peças compostas por mim. Tocar a minha própria música é sempre especial. Quando era estudante, comecei a compor logo que iniciei o estudo da trompa, mas apenas para outros instrumentos, principalmente para piano. Demorei dez anos até ter a coragem de compor uma peça original para trompa (os meus 12 estudos jazzísticos), e desde então tem sido uma jornada fantástica. Há três peças a solo (Pastoral, Mirage e Improviso) que são opus consecutivos, mas apresentam diferentes carateres, já que foram compostas para diferentes intérpretes. Depois, há duas obras para tuba wagneriana e piano, Siegfried e Fafnir, com um caráter heróico, e a Song Without Words, que apresenta este instrumento dos deuses de Valhalla com um toque jazzístico. Esta última peça foi estreada por Robert Palmer no IHS 51, em Ghent, e aqueles que assistiram ao IHS 54 talvez se lembrem de me ter ouvido tocar esta peça numa trompa. Há ainda uma peça para trompa e piano, Song for Emma, que foi escrita para a trompista e compositora australiana Emma Gregan, como forma de agradecimento pela sua aceitação em escrever a peça Rose-Colored Glasses.
Com o lançamento deste CD para trompa (tuba wagneriana) e piano, decidi criar um pequeno concurso online para os subscritores da "Horn and More", a newsletter da International Horn Society. Já ofereci dois CDs na edição de setembro a Veronika Redfern e Wendy Anne Bartel. Se não foirápido o suficiente, ainda há esperança! Vou oferecer mais dois CDs às duas primeiras pessoas que responderem corretamente às perguntas fornecidas nas edições de outubro e novembro. Se foi um dos vencedores da edição de setembro, pode competir novamente, mas, se ficar nos dois primeiros lugares, o CD será atribuído ao próximo da lista.
Transitions—Bon Voyage, Dan Grabois
Transitions—Bon Voyage, Dan Grabois
For the past two-and-a-half years, Dan Grabois has provided the anchor piece of Horn and More, our Pedagogy Column. Now, we say farewell to Dan who took over the Pedagogy Column from Ab Koster. Additional responsibilities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison prevent him from continuing in this significant role. The Column took on a very different look during his tenure with Horn and More, but it held the same gravitas as all that Ab had done for the International Horn Society through the Newsletter. We will miss you, but we are grateful for the legacy you have left the horn community through your many solicitations, personal contributions, and informative interviews. Thank you, Dan!
My Friend George
by Ken Bell
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Ken Bell
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My friend, George McCracken, left us all in early 2024. He left a tremendous legacy of horn design and creation, and a wealth of knowledge about repair, music, and acoustics.
He had several fine apprentices and protégés, one of which, Douglas Hall, has bought George’s business and will carry on the name McCracken Horns from his new shop in San Diego.
This will be a personal reminiscence of my moments with George.
I first met him on a trip to the King factory in Eastlake, Ohio. At the time, he was chief design engineer for brass instruments at King. George had worked with acoustician Arthur Benade to develop the famous “Eroica” bell. This was the late 70s and, on the advice of a fellow classmate from the Eastman School of Music, Brian Drake (retired, Los Angeles Philharmonic), I went to try George’s newly designed “Fidelio” model. He met me at the factory, gave me a tour and a selection of the new horns to try. The horn I settled on was perfect for my needs at the time, and I won my first 2 jobs on this instrument. George was friendly, gregarious and down-to-earth from our first meeting.
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George McCracken
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I met George again a few years later in his horn shop in Barhamsville, Virginia. My wife and I traveled to meet him to put a patch on an old Kruspe that I had acquired. The patch was practical yet elegant. He took plenty of time, showed us some new designs, chatted about his work on historical instruments and Williamsburg, and introduced me to A Prairie Home Companion, Garrison Keillor’s famous radio show.
About 15 years ago, I was reacquainted with George by our mutual friend, Doug Hall, who made twice-yearly trips from San Diego to help George in his new shop in West Point, Virginia. I had started doing instrument repair in Baltimore around this time, so I truly looked forward to my frequent trips to visit and learn. George was extremely knowledgeable, clever, and a quiet genius in my opinion. He loved the art of fine-tuning and improving an instrument. By his own admission, he preferred coming up with new solutions rather than assembly-line production. This explains why there are so many different McCracken horns. (Exceptions are the model 7 and the triple which were made multiple times). No matter how crazy some of them looked, everyone that I have played was superb. He built one of the finest “Geyer” wrap horns that I have ever played—but only one. There was little guess work; he knew what he was doing.
George attempted to help me in person or over the phone with any horn questions I had. I was able to incorporate many of his suggestions, even quick remarks, into my own business. Early on, George explained to me his bell cutting method. I have used his step-by-step advice for years, and never had a bad cut. If George couldn’t get done what he wanted to do, he would spend hours designing and making jigs and tools that would get the job done. A few years ago, I gave him an old King Kruspe model that had seen better days. Just for fun, he completely redesigned the horn with a new convertible leadpipe, cut bell, new trigger geometry, and redesigned third B-flat slide. He loved his work, and he helped me feel the same passion for mine.
Aside from horn making, there was much more to him. George was the choir director for many years at St. John’s Episcopal Church across the street from his home in West Point. He loved vocal music, and like his spouse, was an expert at it. I enjoyed playing at his church occasionally, along with several of his friends from the area. He was kind, thoughtful, and welcoming to visitors (like my wife and me), and devoted to his family members.
Two favorite memories: going to lunch at one of his favorite lunch spots. “Hot tea in a travel cup, please.” All of the waitresses knew and liked him. This is where he would tell stories of his youth in North Carolina…or the time when he was late for his ship in the Navy and ran to the ship, climbed the cargo net, and started playing with the band, the tardiness unnoticed by his superiors.
The last few years, as he slowed down a bit, George would enjoy talking with my wife and me in the shop about all sorts of things, but particularly music. George was a voracious listener of European classical radio broadcasts and streaming orchestral and opera broadcasts. He could share for hours what he discovered. One afternoon when he was too tired to work, we sat as he explained the fundamentals of acoustics for about 2 hours. I felt as if I had just taken an advanced college class, and most of it was over my head.
I will miss the visits and the answers to my horn questions, but mostly the friendly hello from George every time he answered the phone.
Ken Bell is a long-time professional hornist in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area and has himself been in instrument repair for about 15 years.
