Before Farkas: Preparatory Instructor for French Horn (1937) on the Single B-Flat

I am not sure what the exact background was of authors E. C. Moore and A. O. Sieg but they certainly were practical band directors from the reasons they cite for having horn players use the single B-flat.

The authors recommend strongly the Single Bb Horn as the horn best adapted to the usage of school bands. This statement is made after several years of experimentation and use of this instrument. The reasons for its superiority are:

1st Its shorter tubing enables an amateur to get cleaner attacks.
2nd Its slightly more brilliant quality of tone is better suited to band work.
3rd It can be played with more confidence and certainty, especially in the upper register.

This advice from Preparatory Instructor for French Horn (1937), of course, is quite different than the advice offered by Farkas in The Art of French Horn Playing. It is interesting to see this context and that some certainly were using the single B-flat in this time frame.

If band directors better understood the single B-flat it would get more use, it is in fact a great beginner instrument. For a variety of reasons, they don’t, but Moore and Sieg being practical band directors had tried the option and found it worked well.

E. C. Moore had other publications, including a publication from Leblanc Educational Publications titled The Band Book. Some excerpts from that book may be found online here, including the following tips for band directors that any horn player would do well to put into practice.

Do you teach good posture?
Breath is the soul of tone — as well as its support. Correct posture and good breathing habits go hand in hand. Insist upon good standing and sitting posture, for these are basic to good breathing and breath control.

Do you insist on good instrument position?
Instruments are designed to be held in a certain way. When they are not held in this standard position, tone quality, intonation and technique are adversely affected. Insist on good posture and correct position of the instrument in the hands, and of the hands on the instrument. Correct finger position is a basic requirement for rapid, comfortable technique.

Do you watch embouchure formations?
Watch the facial and embouchure formations of your students. When a malfunction becomes apparent, correct it at once. Proper facial and lip control is essential to correct playing.

Do you teach students to listen?
All great wind instrument teachers agree that a beautiful tone is the first requisite of an artistic performance. A beautiful tone is the result of mental alertness and concentration. Never allow students to play “a blur of notes.” Insist that they listen intelligently, critically and constructively, first to themselves and then to the band as a whole.

Do you teach the mechanical and acoustical resources of each instrument?
Many difficult passages are made easy when students understand the full mechanical and acoustical resources of their instruments. Be sure to teach the use of all legitimate alternate fingerings and slide positions.

Do you insist on proper attacks and releases?
The correct use of breath and tongue is basic to a good technique. Students should not only be taught the basic styles of attack and release, but the director must insist that they be used according to the demands made by the music.

Do you require a uniform and precise articulation?
There are about twelve basic articulations, and every member of the band must understand each of them. The effect of a light staccato can be ruined if one player uses the legato attack and release. Teach the basic patterns, and insist upon precise articulation.

There are more tips of this type in the article, including this last one I will cite:

Does your band play afterbeats clearly, precisely and in tune?
The playing of afterbeats is a neglected phase of ensemble performance. Ensemble tone can be seriously distorted when bass players puff their cheeks and “scoop” into every note. Inside parts are often similarly played as players gasp for breath between each note. Afterbeat accompanying passages should be played phrase-wise, with the players breathing only at phrase cadences. The tonguing should be light and clean.

This is probably a big part of why he favored the single B-flat, it is much easier to perform the type of afterbeats found in classic band literature on a single B-flat than on a single F.

One final note related to the single B-flat. Eighteen months ago I helped start the three beginners. The two that I started on single B-flat are still playing and the one on Single F has quit. I feel sure the percentages sticking with the horn would be better if we did not start beginners on the single F. If you are a horn teacher and have not lately tried a single F, take the horn dare and see how you feel about it now.