Section Listings Have Arrived
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As part of the ongoing migration of content from hornplayer.net, the Section Listings are now available in their new home at IHS Online.
O'Connell and Pearlman Compostions Added to the OML
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Two more new publications have been added to the IHS Online Music Library:
Remembering the Future - Ryan O'Connell
Remembering the Future was commissioned by Jeff Nelsen and his wife, Nina, for the 2010 Horn Symposium in Brisbane, Australia. It is a 5-song cycle for horn, mezzo-soprano, and piano based on the poems and artwork of Brian Andreas. Written with a combination of classical and musical theatre styles, it is a versatile piece that can work well for any type of voice.
Horn Trio (for violin, horn and piano) - Martin Pearlman
This composition was awarded Honorable Mention in the 1993 IHS Composition Contest.
"Pearlman's ear is keen, his sense of drama vivid... For all its cram-packed complexity, everything in this music is as clear as can be, everything registers... If fans of [Boston Baroque] wonder why Pearlman's conducting is so insightful, it's because he knows, as only a composer can, how music goes."
—Anthony Tommasini, The Boston Globe
Two New Titles in Online Music Library
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Two pieces by Jeremy Beck have been added the IHS Online Music Library:
Beck, Jeremy - Three Short Pieces for two horns
Three Short Pieces for two horns in F was composed in 1980 in New York City and slightly revised in 1996 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The first of the three pieces is a Prelude, where the melodic lines of the two horns create a tapestry of lyrical counterpoint. Following this is a stately Dancewhich unfolds primarily as a canon between the two horns. The Fanfare that ends the suite provides a rhythmic and energetic contrast to the proceeding two movements. Running ca. 6:00, these pieces were premiered by Tom Friedman and Nancy Chau-Huie Yang at the Mannes College of Music on November 24, 1980.
Beck, Jeremy - Quartet for horn, two violins, and piano
The Quartet for horn, two violins and piano was composed in 1983 in New York City and unfolds in three movements. The first movement, marked Allegro furioso, begins with a driving ostinato in the piano and is followed by a series of fanfare motives in the violins and horn. These motives will later be developed in a contrapuntal, imitative fashion. Along the way, the fast music is interrupted by a slower, chorale section, which will return as a reminiscence in the third movement. The second movement, Molto adagio, begins with a lyrical solo in the horn. This melodic line slowly builds and expands with the addition of the violins, pushing towards the climactic midpoint of the movement, before falling away into the quieter atmosphere where the movement began. The main theme of the final Allegro is introduced by the horn, accompanied by aggressive chords in the piano and strings. This theme will become the subject for certain fugato sections which follow The middle section of this movement provides a brief restatement of the second movement's lyrical music, followed by the chorale reminiscence of the first movement. The Allegro then closes with a return of the main theme, bringing the Quartet to a rousing close. Running ca. 12:00, it was premiered on January 27, 1984 on a recital of the composer's works at the Mannes College of Music in New York City, with Stig Jensen, horn; Wha-Rim Kim and Rachel Durling, violins; and Carol Archer, piano.
IHS Acquires Hornplayer.net
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Hornplayer.net founder and long time administrator Robin Moffatt has turned over control and administration of his popular site to the International Horn Society. Online since 1997, the site is famous for its Teachers Database, Section Listings of many ensembles from throughout the world, the Information Archive gleaned from years of posts on the horn mailing lists and most especially for the Free Classified Ads featuring only horns and horn related merchandise.
The IHS assumed control of the existing site on August 18, 2011, and will continue to provide Hornplayer.net's content and services, all completely free and open to the public, on the IHS website. Over the following weeks, the content of horn player.net will gradually be incorporated into the IHS website. When that transition is complete, hornplayer.net will cease to exist in its present form, though site visitors will still be able to reach its new location through the old domain name.
Classified advertisers are encouraged to begin posting their ads now in hornplayer.net's new location at the IHS site: Marketplace—>Member Market in the main menu. Posting will end soon at the old hornplayer.net site and once all of the ads there now have expired, that site will close and traffic to that domain will be redirected to http://www.hornsociety.org/hornplayer-dot-net.
The IHS wish to express their gratitude to Robin Moffatt for his many years of service to the horn world through his website, and to thank him for allowing the Society to continue that service.
Richard Strauss source documents sought
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We appeal to all persons who possess source documents related to the work of the composer Richard Strauss (1864–1949), as well as those individuals who have knowledge of the whereabouts of such sources.
Since 1 October 2009, the Richard Strauss Institute in Garmisch-Partenkirchen began work on the Richard-Strauss-Quellenverzeichnis (RSQV). The project is under the financial support of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Its goal is to develop and document as completely as possible the source documents related to the work of the composer Richard Strauss (1864–1949). By source documents we mean, among other things, autograph musical manuscripts (as well as copies of them), printer and copy-editor proofs, additional letters and postcards from or to Richard Strauss. The collected information will then be published online in a musicological database. This would thus provide our research with a modern, effective tool for conducting a quick and uncomplicated search of the source documents.
Call for Papers
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Call for Papers for the
Historic Brass Society International Symposium: Repertoire, Performance, and Culture.
July 12-15, 2012
New York City,
New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music Program and
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Submit an abstract of 350 words for papers of 20 minutes in length that address the theme of the history, repertoires, performance practices and cultural issues relevant to brass instruments and the environments in which they have been prominent.
Submit abstracts to: president@historicbrass.org by October 1, 2011
Details on the HBS website www.historicbrass.org
Agamemnon for solo horn added to OML
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In Richard Strauss’ opera Elektra, the character of Agamemnon (Elektra’s father) was murdered upon his return home from the Trojan War. The opera focuses on Elektra’s plot to exact revenge against Agamemnon’s murderers.
Strauss represents Agamemnon with an ominous three-note theme that outlines a D minor chord. It first appears at the very beginning of the score, and is heard in various forms throughout the remainder of the opera.
As a hypothetical question, one may wonder what becomes of the memory of Agamemnon? Was he despised enough to be murdered, or should he be celebrated as a victorious commander of war?
That question, plus Strauss’ motive for Agamemnon, serve as the point of inspiration for this piece; a character and thematic exploration of the Trojan War commander. The motive is treated in various forms of altered rhythms and tonal qualities, set in contrasting sections. Each section relates to various aspects of the character: an opening call to summon his soldiers, a war march, a song to lament departing from one’s family in wartime, and a murderous dance of death.
