Extreme High Horn Smack Down
A couple weeks ago now I had an E-mail from a composer. It was their second E-mail on the same basic topic. They wanted to write in their latest symphony horn parts in a higher range than a conventional horn or hornist can actually play, through the use of some sort of “piccolo horn.”
What I said to them and will say online to composers researching this topic is don’t write above high C written for horn in F. What you run into is a reality that many if not most fine horn players can play up to high C relatively easily (it is still difficult!) but above high C they run into a technical wall. Maybe they can squeak out a note or three higher in some good circumstance (such as the practice room) but it is not a reliable range for performance. A smaller horn or mouthpiece won’t help much—our chops just are not set up to produce sounds that high. It is not like woodwinds, where if you hand a smaller Saxophone to a player they will play higher notes right away.
If you really want a horn-like sound in a range higher than horn players can play there is an easy solution. Write the part for Flugelhorn. Every good trumpet player owns one or has access to a friend with one and it is much easier for a trumpet player to play that range. Their chops are set up for it. But please don’t write above high C unless you are very sure you have a player in mind that can do it.
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