An Operatic Horn Resource
Resources for opera excerpts are scarce.
I just found a resource – new to me – for operatic horn excerpts:
This is a CD (no sheet music) produced by Richard Chenowith that demonstrates the most requested operatic horn excerpts. While many specific symphonic excerpt and part resources are currently available, those for opera are few and far between.
In fact the only other opera horn resources that I can think of at the moment are:
- Hornist’s Opera & Ballet Handbook by Arthur Labar with performance notes by Howard Howard – a superb book. I ordered mine through Portland Sheet Music.
- The James Chambers Wagner excerpt book – which I suspect is out-of-print.
Mr. Chenowith’s CD is a much needed and very welcome addition.
Be sure to check out his article in the latest issue of the International Horn Society‘s publication The Horn Call. Chenowith writes on the Aria No. 25 from Cosi fan tutte.
Pictured above right:
A 1940 TIME magazine cover depicting famed heldentenor Lauritz Melchior in his signature role as Siegfried, playing the famous horn call. I have this framed on the wall in my home office and it is posted here under “fair use” of copyrighted material.
Related to this article
- Siegfried Horn Call – The Back Story to a Famous Horn Solo
UPDATE: May 5, 2010. YouTube has removed the Bugs Bunny cartoon that features the horn call in F# major. A while ago, I had the pleasure to perform the complete Ring cycle several times with Arizona Opera, with Joe Berger as principal horn. I cannot say... - The Resource for Brass Research
One book that I don’t think is well enough known among brass teachers and students is Brass Bibliography: Sources on the History, Literature, Pedagogy, Performance, and Acoustics of Brass Instruments by Mark J. Fasman. Published by Indiana University Press in 1990, it is a very comprehensive... - New Resource on Gumpert
In 1999 I presented in Paris a session titled “Friedrich Gumpert (1841-1906) and the Performing Technique of the Valved Horn in Late-Nineteenth-Century Germany.” This presentation on one of the most important horn teachers of that century, with many footnotes, is now available in Brass Scholarship in... - A Collection Siegfried Horn Calls on Video
Originally posted as a sidebar, this feature has been migrated to a dedicated page. Use the “continue” link below to check it out. Including plot synopsis and staging. Select MENU to pick and choose. Get the sheet music here. See also the blog post “Siegfried –... - Background on Playing High Horn
Over the summer of 2007 I worked very hard toward the completion of four book projects and launching a new publishing venture, Horn Notes Edition. The project that started this process for me, Playing High Horn: A Handbook for High Register Playing, Descant Horns, and Triple... - What is it about the Single B-flat Horn, and a Review of Introducing the Horn
Looking at the stats lately for this site one of the most active pages for weeks has been a page posted two months ago, A single B-flat horn FAQ. Why is that? It could be a lack of other resources on the topic (as is certainly the... - Background on Introducing the Horn
To continue my series on my initial publications, the third project I started on was Introducing the Horn: Essentials for New Hornists and Their Teachers. In this book I attempt to cover in one volume the range of performance-related topics that are the most essential in...





