by Layne Anspach

Hello musicians!

Joachim Nicolas Eggert (1779-1813) was a Swedish composer and conductor, born in Gingst, Rügen, which is now part of Germany. Eggert started his formal musical studies in Stralsund and Brunswick; he held his first music director post in Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1802. Shortly after, he left for Sweden as he took a position in the Royal Court Orchestra, first as a violinist (1803-07), then as the hovkapellmästare (chief conductor; 1808-12). Eggert’s health deteriorated during the winter of 1813 and, shortly thereafter, he died at the age of 34.

Eggert focused most of his chamber writing on string music: a string sextet, a piano quartet, and at least twelve string quartets. He also wrote a sextet for clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello, and bass, which will be our focus. It is hypothesized that the work was inspired by Beethoven’s Septet, op. 20, as the septet was quite popular in Stockholm during this time. The work was to be performed on a concert in May 1807 but was not performed when some of the musicians became ill.

Written in a sonata form, the first movement, Adagio - Allegro, begins with the lowest strings in a somber, slow introduction. The horn then interjects the first theme, and a second theme is presented by the clarinet and violin. The development is melodically carried by the clarinet and violin while being pushed forward by the low strings. The recapitulation is marked, as expected, by the return of the first theme. In a change from the exposition, the horn and violin play the second theme, with the clarinet eventually taking over from the horn.

The second movement, Adagio, begins, in a similar fashion to the first, with the low strings. The clarinet emerges with the melody, periodically relinquishing the role to others as the movement progresses, but always regaining it. In the closing, the horn is heard with a countermelody as the clarinet brings the movement to a gentle conclusion.

The Menuetto follows the compound ternary form typical of a minuet and trio. The menuetto starts, yet again, with the low strings, but it is quickly spurred on by the clarinet and violin, either in tandem or in turn. The trio is characterized by a lighter, quieter character. The violin and clarinet alternate two-note figures while the horn plays a running passage. The trio continues with the three top voices carrying the melodic content before the da capo.

The Finale is a light and quick concluding movement. Interspersed with fermati which allow the movement to restart at regular intervals, the clarinet and violin present the vast majority of the melodic content. Sprightly passages jolt additional excitement into the movement, which concludes in a familiar classical style.

The reference recording is by the Consortium Classicum.

by Marty Schlenker

Dear Fellow Amateurs,

Last month, I shared some of the results of a longer stretch of daily practice than my business travel had been allowing. I was able to make some progress reshaping my oral cavity, with positive effects to tone and flexibility. I have a much longer journey ahead to strengthen my embouchure after many years of substituting large muscles for small muscles, basically squashing my lips onto the mouthpiece to achieve a narrow aperture. 

This month, I’d like to stay with the subject of horn playing as physical activity. We all know and appreciate that horn playing is physical. We’ve concluded marathon rehearsals with sore ribs, swollen embouchures, and, ideally, a sense of relief, appreciation for the music we helped make, and the satisfaction that comes from having accomplished something.

And yet, as I’ve resumed lessons and paid new attention to playing tips I discover on the internet and elsewhere, the subject of efficiency has come up more and more often. We pursue efficiency not to expend less effort, but to maximally realize the effort we expend as musical effect. 

After 16 months of living in central Pennsylvania, I finally caught the Harrisburg Symphony, attending two premier performances of the oratorio Saul by Jonathan Leshnoff. The symphony was joined by the Susquehanna Chorale and the Messiah University Concert Choir. 

It was a big work, with fine horn writing and equally fine execution by the Harrisburg section. With choirs, the typical complement of orchestral winds, and a very large string section, the horns had a challenge to be present but not strident, or at least only strident when called for. They worked hard, and the performance worked musically.

What I took home from this is a reminder that, in seeking to become a more efficient player, I should not let down my effort on breathing. Early in my latest lessons, I’d received feedback that I was overplaying. Between that, and concentrating hard on the tonguing, oral cavity, and embouchure changes also underway, breathing had taken a back seat. This wasn’t deliberate, but my visit to Harrisburg made me think, “Am I doing what they’re doing?” In the breathing department, the answer was no. So, I picked up my effort, and it seems to be helping. In many contexts, we hear “work smarter, not harder.” In my playing, “work smarter, but work nonetheless” seems to fit.

Coincidentally, the May 2024 edition of Marilyn B. Kloss’ Cornucopia newsletter has an interesting piece by Dylan Skye Hart on breathing physiology, Breathing with the Whole Body. It’s a quick read and includes additional resources.

I’ll close by asking you all once again to get in touch and share your own journeys as amateur hornists. You know things that can help others. Share your gifts. marty.schlenker@cavaliers.org.

Your servant and kindred spirit,

Marty Schlenker, Amateur Hornist

by Andrew Pelletier

I was very honored and a little amused that Mike Harcrow and the Horn and More team wanted to do a “Meet the People” feature with me—I'm always stunned when anyone shows interest in what I've done and try to do with the horn, believing that there are several thousand horn players more deserving or interesting than myself, but I'll try my best....

I was born and raised in Maine, in the Northeast of the USA, and started playing the horn in sixth grade. I quit through junior high school (I could not afford a horn and the school didn't have one for me to borrow) but picked it back up in senior high and have been trying to perfect it ever since. I attended the University of Southern Maine (GO HUSKIES!) for my undergraduate studies and found myself, at 18, playing in the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Maine's only professional orchestra. I played with the PSO for 5 seasons (undergrad plus one gap year), before heading to Los Angeles for graduate study with James Decker at the University of Southern California, earning my master’s degree in 1998 and the Doctor of Musical Arts in 2001. While in L.A. I was super lucky to freelance quite frequently, including for television and feature film studio recording sessions. I also played principal horn for the Santa Barbara Symphony and taught at a few community colleges. In 2004, I moved to Bowling Green, Ohio, to become the horn professor at Bowling Green State University. In my time at BGSU so far, I have played principal horn in Ann Arbor, Michigan (for 11 seasons), and principal horn for the Michigan Opera Theatre in Detroit (for 16 seasons), and I have been a frequent substitute player with the Toledo Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, in Columbus, Ohio. BGSU named me a Professor of Creative Arts Excellence in 2020, and I was elected the Chair of the Department of Music Performance Studies in 2023.

Now, my deep love and care of the IHS goes all the way to the very beginning, leafing through my former teacher's collection of old issues of The Horn Call. I was (and am) so excited by the history, the traditions, the personalities, and the music of our great instrument. I attended my first IHS Symposium in 1997 at the Eastman School of Music (bravo, Peter Kurau!), thanks to the Jon Hawkins Memorial Scholarship, and I was hooked. The IHS kindly gave me a platform to experiment as a solo artist, usually bringing new pieces I'd commissioned, and I've been lucky to perform at 12 Symposia (thus far—see you in July!) and have commissioned and premiered over 60 works for our instrument. I've made lifelong friends through the IHS, and I always come away from IHS events charged up to learn more, to try new things, to experiment. One of the greatest honors of my life was when I was elected President of the IHS, starting in 2018. It was a challenge to keep the Society healthy and moving forward during covid, but thanks to the extraordinary staff, volunteers, and the hard work of the Advisory Council, I feel like we escaped the pandemic in a good position for growth. I've been involved with the IHS for almost 30 years, now, and although I am currently enjoying a bit of a break in official duties for the Society, I know that this won't last forever, and I look forward to any opportunity I may have to help it grow and prosper, and help to inspire and develop horn players and teachers the world over. I am immensely proud to be an IHS Life Member, and I am always thankful for what the IHS has done for me.

by Marty Schlenker

Dear Fellow Amateurs,

It’s been several months since I devoted a column to my journey in resuming lessons in middle age. So…how’s it been going? 

In previous columns, I’ve shared the advice that helped me the most the fastest, including repositioning my tongue farther back and reshaping my air column to be narrower and rounder, as if it were a straw that I was holding between my lips. Making these changes has enabled the fronts of my notes to be less percussive with the tongue, and they have made it easier for notes to speak. 

I alluded to but didn’t really describe other guidance which I know will be good in the long run but which was really challenging at first. It was said in several different ways, but the common concept is that I was exerting too much of my whole body in the attempt to get notes, especially in passages containing large interval changes. This manifested in small ways (eyebrows) and large (clenched shoulders), but fundamentally, it was a substitute for work that should have been done by facial muscles within the mouthpiece ring.

The advice, “keep still outside the mouthpiece ring, no matter what the register or interval” has proven quite difficult, especially right after travel-induced practice breaks. The “hefting” I was doing was only delaying the development of a broadly capable embouchure. Quelling this movement made sense, but it took a while to find any kind of substitute.

Practice breaks…. My business travel slowed down significantly in March and April. The circumstances of my employer weren’t great, so this wasn’t planned; but the silver lining was the longest continuous stretch of practice days since I resumed lessons. With daily conditioning rather than a couple sessions a week, it became easier to summon air from my lower torso, and I could start to make melodic jumps while maintaining a more relaxed upper body. 

That’s not to say that this is a resolved issue. Far from it. I would estimate I’m not even a quarter of the way to the embouchure strengthening that I think I need. But it’s a start. Here are some of the “case-in-point” passages newly attained (most of the time, anyway):

Mueller (ed. Chambers) Vol. 2 #23:

Kling #4, in the style of Rossini:

There’s lots more to report that will have to wait until future columns: I acquired another horn and have some things to say about it. I was invited to conduct a trombone ensemble and overcame some self-doubt. I attended the world premiere of Jonathan Leshnoff’s oratorio Saul and made a playing adjustment inspired by the horns of the Harrisburg Symphony.

Fellow amateurs, have you resumed lessons? Are they helping? How? Please write and share your stories; this column will be better for it. marty.schlenker@cavaliers.org

Your servant and kindred spirit,

Marty Schlenker, Amateur Hornist