by Ian Zook
Volume 20 — Verne Reynolds
This month, we will depart from the usual explorations of the outer reaches of repertoire and listen to the Eastman Horn Choir in Music for Christmas, recorded in 1981 on Stolat Records. This ensemble was directed by Verne Reynolds, a weighty presence in the horn world for his numerous contributions to teaching, composition, and writing.
Verne Reynolds (1926-2011) was the longtime Professor of Horn at the Eastman School of Music, retiring in 1995 after 36 years on faculty. He was born in Kansas and began horn studies at age 13. He served in the U.S. Navy after high school, and then continued his education at the Cincinnati Conservatory, the University of Wisconsin, and the Royal College of Music in London as a Fulbright scholar. He played with the Cincinnati Symphony from 1947-1950 and also taught at the Cincinnati Conservatory, the University of Wisconsin, and Indiana University before assuming his position at Eastman in 1959. He was principal horn of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra from 1959-1968, and he also devoted much of his performance time to the Eastman Brass Quintet and the American Woodwind Quintet.
Reynolds was an accomplished composer of over 60 works published by G. Shirmer, Carl Fischer, Belwin-Mills, and Southern Music whose catalog includes solo instrumental works and pieces for orchestra, choral ensemble, and chamber ensembles. He is well known for his 48 Etudes and his thoughts on music and teaching in The Horn Handbook. Several additional horn works include Calls for Two Horns in F, Intonation Exercises for Two Horns, Elegy for Solo Horn, Horn Vibes for horn and vibraphone, and Fantasy Etudes Volume V, Partita, Sonata, and Sonata Concertare all for horn and piano. His chamber pieces include Songs of the Seasons for soprano, horn, and piano, and trios with violin and piano, oboe and piano, and trumpet and trombone.
It is also important to recognize his many additions to the repertoire for horn ensemble, horn quartet, and brass quintet. With special attention to Renaissance and Baroque works, he arranged works ranging from Gabrieli, Handel, Bach, and Scheidt to Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Schumann. With his lasting legacy of teaching and his rich compositional output, he was distinguished as an Honorary Member of the International Horn Society in 1994.
Let’s proceed with some listening! Cor Carols, arranged by L.P. Schwartz, is a medley that weaves together numerous carols with clever transitions and grand choral writing. This section features God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen transitioning to Adeste Fidelis:
An arrangement of Bach’s chorale O Mensch, bewein’ dein’ Sünde gross features excellent chordal tuning from the Eastman Horn Choir, anchored by the firm bass of the low horns:
The 12 Days of Christmas, arranged by J. Lalumia, combines the Eastman Horns and the Eastman Trombone Choir directed by John Marcellus:
The closing selection, Lied by Hassler, has Gabrieli-style choirs in close imitation. The music is crisp and joyful:
Wishing all our readers a wonderful holiday season! Thank you for reading Horn on Record!
