Archived under: Equipment | Gunther Schuller, Quotations
Hornmasters: Schuller on Horns
On instruments for beginners Gunther Schuller in Horn Technique keeps his advice simple, not taking a stand for any particular type of horn, noting on the very first page of his text to “seek professional advice from an established teacher or player.” Later however he goes into more detail.
Except in special situations (e.g., the performance of works with especially high tessituras), I think the ideal instrument for today’s normal playing conditions is the double horn in B flat and F. It satisfies more of the demands made by the orchestral and chamber music repertoires than either the single F or the single B flat horns. The double horn, being a compromise instrument, admittedly has a theoretical loss in quality compared to the single horn. But this factor is more than outweighed by the gains in accuracy and flexibility.
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