by Pierre-Antoine Tremblay, IHS 57 Featured Artist
The art of portamento—once an expressive hallmark of music—has largely faded from modern performance practice. Yet, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, this technique of seamlessly gliding between notes was considered an essential tool for lyrical phrasing and expressive musicianship. As a musician dedicated to historical performance, I have long been fascinated by these forgotten expressive devices and their role in shaping the horn’s distinctive voice in the Romantic repertoire.
My name is Pierre-Antoine Tremblay, and I am a horn player specializing in historical instruments. I teach natural horn (and all sorts of early valve horns) at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya in Barcelona. I perform with period instrument orchestras across Europe and Asia, using a wide range of horns built between 1700 and 1950.
Portamento, the technique of sliding audibly from one note to another, is now almost absent from modern horn playing, yet it was once a hallmark of expressive performance. In the 19th century, pedagogical treatises from France and Germany described it as an essential skill. Viennese tradition retained this expressive tool well into the 20th century with horn players like Gottfried von Freiberg who emphasized clearly audible slurs in his playing and teaching.
Early recordings from the 20th century capture this lost art. In a 1918 recording of Flotow's Martha by the New York Philharmonic (which can easily be found on YouTube), the principal horn glides expressively between notes in his lyrical solo. Viennese recordings under Freiberg’s tenure (1932–1962) also reveal remarkable portamenti in works like Mahler’s Ninth Symphony and Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben.
Vienna horns, still used today in Austria’s major orchestras, contribute to this unique legato. Developed by Leopold Uhlmann in the 1830s, they feature distinctive Viennese double-piston valves. However, modern research suggests that the valve placement—farther from the mouthpiece than on modern double horns—plays a crucial role in facilitating smooth note connections.
Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony offers yet another striking example of how portamento could enhance phrasing. Its horn passages, from the opening calls to the expressive leaps of the Finale, naturally invite the use of this technique. Reintroducing portamento into our playing, whether on modern or historical horns, could help us highlight the incredible expressive power of this music.
At the 2025 IHS Symposium, I will present a lecture on historical horn portamento (featuring some fascinating early 20th-century recordings) and perform in recital on an original Leopold Uhlmann horn from the late 19th century, applying these techniques in practice. I can’t wait to share this fascinating aspect of horn playing with the IHS community!
