by Ian Zook

Volume 19—Howard T. Howard  

For this installment of Horn on Record, we will be listening to obscure (and very piano-oriented) chamber quintets, one each by Friedrich Kalkbrenner and Louis Spohr. Hornist Howard T. Howard is joined by New York City freelancers on a recording from 1972 on the Turnabout label.

Howard T. Howard (1936-2021) was a Principal Horn of the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera from 1962-2007. He was born in Beatrice, Nebraska, and he took up the horn at age fourteen after relocating to Billings, Montana. He attended the University of Michigan, graduating in 1958 with a degree in music education before enlisting in the United States Air Force. He had a short tenure as Principal Horn of the Toledo Symphony, and then moved to New York to pursue his music career. While substitute teaching elementary school, he won a position with the MET Orchestra and was appointed principal horn in 1962. He shared co-principal duties with Clarendon Van Norman until 1985, and then with Julie Landsman from 1985 until his retirement.

Julie Landsman credits Howard as her first teacher, instructing her through her middle- and high-school years. When she joined him in the MET Orchestra, she recalls his favorite repertoire being the Mozart operas, Handel’s Giulio Cesare, and Strauss’ Rosenkavalier. He was known for his sensitivity in blending tone and phrase, and for his love for the orchestra and his enjoyment of performing through his final 46th season in the section. He was also active in the Newport Classical Chamber Series, frequently sailing his restored Herreshoff S-Class yacht to Rhode Island as well as around Long Island Sound.

Friedrich Kalkbrenner’s Grand Quintet, Op. 81 for piano, clarinet, horn, cello, and bass was composed in 1827. Kalkbrenner, German by nationality, settled in Paris where he gained fame as a pianist of exceptional virtuosity, worked at the Pleyel piano company and also oversaw a music school. He was the most sought-after and highly paid concert pianist from 1824-1833 but was eclipsed by both Chopin and Liszt whose music and performance styles reflected the burgeoning Romantic era. 

The second movement, Andante quasi adagio, presents Howard taking the melodic role. He spins forth a Mozartean line supported by clarinet and strings and then has a short dialogue with the piano.

In the following Rondo, resplendent with dazzling piano lines, the horn answers the piano theme. Howard easily moves from the solo voice to a supporting harmonic and rhythmic chamber partner.

Louis Spohr also composed his Quintet, Op. 52 for piano, flute, clarinet, horn and bassoon in the same timeframe as Kalkbrenner, the early 1820’s. Spohr was a dominant figure on European concert stages as a violinist, composer, and conductor. Also written to feature the piano, Spohr’s Quintet does employ the winds more prominently.

In the opening moments of the first movement, Allegro, Howard shapes a beautiful line with soloistic portamento, melding seamlessly with the clarinet and bassoon.

The contrasting theme in the second movement has a flowing, cantabile shape. Howard’s smooth, pulsing articulation and suave solo conjures the operas of Verdi and Puccini, a style he would have perfected with his career at the MET.

Both works seem to have fallen out of favor for chamber music programming. Perhaps this is due to their pianistic demands, or simply that they linger in the shadow of the prominent works for piano and winds by Mozart and Beethoven. Thankfully we have these renditions, the only chamber music recording credited to Howard T. Howard, to inspire those looking for different options in this genre.

Thank you for reading Horn on Record!

by Drs. William Stowman and Mike Harcrow, Messiah University

One of the most attractive techniques possible on a brass instrument is a beautiful, clean slur. The hornist, most frequently reading music written in the third and fourth octaves of the instrument’s harmonic series, often has the obstacle of intervening harmonics to overcome in slurring. In addition, rotor valves are set in a large number of possible arrays, some opening in the direction of the rotor port and some opening toward the airflow—or even a combination of these, depending on the brand and wrap. This has the effect of either smoothly directing (moving with) or slicing (moving against) the airstream; and some fingering patterns, like cross fingerings, seem to amplify the effect so that valve slurs can pop or flare without intentionally-practiced control.

Bumpy slurs, whether overworked, slotted lip slurs or the slurs adversely affected by valve configurations, result in sounds similar to playing a fretted string instrument, like a guitar, while what we all want are fretless slurs such as those which a can be produced on a cello or violin.

The harmonic series is the source of lip slurs, and we find more success with it, particularly its extremes, if we imagine it as horizontal rather than vertical. It is also a scale, the scale of the tube length through which its pitches vibrate; notes outside a harmonic series can only be played using some special mechanism (like a piston or rotor) or technique (like hand stopping on the horn). Blowing through the harmonic series can be imagined as knocking down dominoes so that you blow farther rather than tensing in an ascent or sagging in a descent. (This last concept is also excellent for building range, both higher and lower.)

We encounter lip slurs in virtually every piece of music we perform. The tendency, if one is conscientious, is to develop clean lip slurs; yet these can sometimes still sound distinct, almost tongued. Many players, then, learn to incorporate portamento (a smooth, sliding connection) between slurred notes, especially if the pitches are close together. This must be practiced on both lip and valve slurs in order to learn how to balance technique (how the lips move) and timing (when the lips move): too late and the slur is not smooth but abrupt; too slow and the intended portamento can turn into a glissando (see Robin Hahn’s brief explanation of these as separate and distinct vocal techniques), particularly when slurred intervals are larger. The slurred note which simply materializes from the note of departure is ideal. Within the sound you are playing, that next note is already in the room—existing as an overtone, but also audiated—waiting to be found.

Portamento should also be applied to valve slurs. Just as a trombonist must consider how and when to execute slurs which move with the slide motion vs. those which move against it, those performing on valved instruments must be attentive to these same concerns. Valve movement can, in many cases, add to the smoothness of the slur when, for example, using a longer fingering to slur upward to a note on a shorter fingering or vice versa. (In-tune alternate fingerings may certainly be utilized to enhance portamento, and an alternate fingering can be applied to what would normally be a lip slur as well.) Yet the lips are still engaged in the process; the evidence for this is quickly confirmed when buzzing a passage since the mouthpiece alone is “fretless.”

Portamento, for many players, is easier to accomplish on upward slurs, but it should be practiced on downward slurs as well. “Hard landings” on downward slurs are the equivalent of bumping into arrival notes on upward slurs. Renowned trumpet pedagogue Keith Johnson (1942-2020), known for his do-less-get-more approach to teaching, told students that slurring is simply playing one note and then playing the next without tonguing it.

In fast technical passages, portamento is less of a concern. Smooth, brilliant technique, slurred or otherwise, is much more a matter of energized and intensifying airflow. For lyrical passages, however, any flaw in production may be noticed by the listener. Horn players are notorious for relying on “wa-wa” articulations as a safety or coping mechanism (so much so that many electronic horn sounds have included this unfortunate effect). The portamento should not include this; when well-performed, it cannot, since consistent airflow is required for the connection.

Some practice techniques for developing portamento include [1] slow, deliberate movement between progressively widening slurred intervals, [2] buzzing slurs with no loss of energy on what is in-between notes to eliminate individual note shaping, [3] practicing timing and control in both lip and valve slurs for greater elasticity in lyrical passages, [4] making large intervals more “user-friendly” by seeing them as small ones (trumpeter Allen Vizzutti is a master of this concept), and [5] reversing articulations in practice, i.e. tonguing slurred passages and slurring tongued passages. Additionally, find models to emulate—and not just horn players. Great vocalists and string players can be wonderful sources for study. Last, record yourself regularly and evaluate your progress in creating captivating, singing slurs.

For nearly 20 years, Bill Stowman and Mike Harcrow have been working together leading the Brass Department at Messiah University in south-central Pennsylvania. Sharing their differing backgrounds and concepts has led to a comprehensive yet cohesive approach to brass pedagogy, and a high percentage of their graduates go on to pursue advanced degrees in music and professional playing careers. A highlight of their collaboration was the release of their Brass Department CD Luminosity, which—in addition to some 20th-century brass ensemble standards and the outstanding commissioned title track by James Stephenson—features primarily works of Giovanni Gabrieli. Enjoy this sample track from that recording.

em português

by Ricardo Matosinhos

The CD Hornscapes presents several pieces which showcase different possibilities of both horn and Wagner tuba. All the pieces were composed by horn players, “native speakers” of the horn player’s idiom. The concept of idiomatic horn writing is always present when I compose for the horn, and my doctoral research was, in fact, focused on this subject.

Following Douglas Hill’s idea of the Call to Action in his excellent book Collected Thoughts, we, as horn players, have a responsibility to encourage composers to write for our instruments. Even better, we should compose for our instrument ourselves, so that composers may take note of our capabilities and preferences.

I know that you might be thinking, “But I’ve never composed for the horn.” Yet, as a horn player, you know the instrument better than any composer, and that’s a significant advantage. The International Horn Society is currently running a composition contest until December 1st, making this the perfect opportunity for you to create a solo piece for the Featured Division. This piece can be performed by students and amateurs, but should also have enough musical integrity to honor professional performances.

This may seem like a daunting task for any composer, but it’s much easier for a horn player. Trust me, I don’t have a degree in composition, yet my works have fans worldwide and have been performed across the globe. So, I challenge you to compose a solo piece for our beloved horn!

With the release of this CD for horn (and Wagner tuba) and piano, I decided to create a small online contest for the recipients of Horn and More, the Newsletter of the International Horn Society. I’ve already offered two CDs in the September edition and another two in the October edition. But if you weren’t fast enough, there’s still a chance! I will be offering a final two CDs to the first two people who correctly answer the provided questions in the November editions.

If you were one of the winners of the September or October editions, you can still compete. However, if you place in the top two again, I will give the CD to the next person on the list.

Have fun, and good luck!

Click here to participate

por Ricardo Matosinhos

O CD Hornscapes apresenta várias peças que exploram diferentes possibilidades da trompa e da tuba wagneriana. Todas as peças foram compostas por trompistas, falantes nativos do “idioma” dos trompistas. A escrita idiomática para trompa é um tema sempre presente quando componho para este instrumento, e até a minha investigação de doutoramento foi sobre este assunto.

Seguindo a ideia de Douglas Hill sobre o Call to Action, no seu excelente livro Collected Thoughts, nós, como trompistas, temos a responsabilidade de incentivar compositores a escreverem para os nossos instrumentos. Melhor ainda, devemos nós próprios compor para o nosso querido instrumento, para que os compositores possam perceber as nossas capacidades e preferências.

Sei o que está a pensar: “Mas eu nunca compus para trompa”. No entanto, como trompista, conhece o instrumento melhor do que qualquer compositor, e isso é uma grande vantagem. A International Horn Society está a realizar um Concurso de Composição até 1 de dezembro, sendo esta a oportunidade perfeita para criar uma peça a solo para a Featured Division. Esta peça poderá ser tocada por estudantes e amadores, mas deverá conter material musical suficiente para honrar também performances profissionais.

Pode parecer uma tarefa assustadora para qualquer compositor, mas para um trompista é muito mais fácil! Confie em mim—não tenho um diploma em composição, mas as minhas obras têm fãs por todo o mundo e já foram interpretadas em vários países. Por isso, desafio a compor uma peça a solo para o nosso amado instrumento!

Com o lançamento deste CD para trompa (e tuba Wagner) e piano, decidi criar um pequeno concurso online para os assinantes da “Horn and More”, a newsletter da Sociedade Internacional de Trompa. Já ofereci dois CDs na edição de setembro e outros dois na edição de outubro. Mas se não foi rápido o suficiente, ainda há esperança! Irei oferecer mais dois CDs às duas primeiras pessoas que responderem corretamente às perguntas fornecidas na edição de novembro.

Se foi um dos vencedores das edições de setembro ou outubro, pode competir novamente. No entanto, se voltar a ficar entre os dois primeiros, atribuirei o CD à próxima pessoa na lista.

Divirtam-se e boa sorte!

Clique aqui para participar