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This horn repertoire class is a companion to the University of Horn Matters Horn Pedagogy Course, launched initially for the fall semester of 2012, and is also fully organized as a hybrid, online class. Readers interested in all things horn playing, but just now discovering this course, may wish instead to go back and work through the pedagogy course first, which starts here.
This course by design continues on the concepts of the pedagogy course and integrates an overview of the solo repertoire and horn history with the topics of orchestral horn playing, the natural horn, descant horn, triple horn, and Wagner tuba into the flow of the course.
Too much to cover, so little time
There is a lot to cover in the context of a single year, especially as roughly every two weeks of material in this class could easily be expanded into an entire semester. Overall the goal remains to introduce a total overview of horn pedagogy and repertoire clearly, but to not overwhelm readers with too much information. There are some lengthy readings, but less than in the fall semester, as listening and performance are also important to this course.
Students taking this class at Arizona State will need to do a journal project on the required readings and have other projects to complete. Project options will be explained in more detail in the syllabus.
Three supplemental texts
Besides the online readings posted this semester in the University of Horn Matters, students in the course will need three texts, which will also be needed by anyone wishing to follow along closely online.
- Introducing the Wagner Tuba (Horn Notes Edition)
- Playing Descant and Triple Horns (Horn Notes Edition)
- Playing Natural Horn Today (Horn Notes Edition)
These books are available in print or as Kindle ePublications. For those taking the live course at ASU, I just give you copies of these, no need to buy a copy.
A comprehensive overview?
Speaking now directly to my own former students, especially before 2012, they know I have taught these two courses (pedagogy and repertoire) a bit different every semester over now many years of college teaching. To those that experienced very different courses I especially dedicate this online course, as finally I believe I have the content well organized for a one year course of this type, a fairly comprehensive overview but hopefully, as already stated, not overwhelming.
But for those that want the REALLY complete view of all horn rep, check out this recent publication, which we may occasionally reference this semester:
Kicking things off with a bonus reading on ensemble dynamics
The first topics of this semester are on orchestral horn playing. As a bonus reading to kick things off I would offer this quote from Philip Farkas from The Art of French Horn Playing, where he gets at the topic of how dynamic markings really work and vary by musical context. Farkas wrote
Most students go through years of indecision before finally coming to the realization that in ensemble playing there are, in effect, two distinct types of dynamic marks. One set is for accompaniment passages, and the other is for solos. Piano in an accompaniment means just that—play softly. However, the same mark in a solo passage might require much more volume. A solo passage must carry, even though the dynamic mark indicates softness. Your first duty in playing a soft passage is to make it audible….
Although solo passages can often be a degree louder than the dynamic indicated, the opposite is true of accompaniment dynamics. Here it is our duty to keep down sufficiently to let the soloist come through even though it means playing piano when mezzoforte is indicated. Thus the orchestral player might make a simple rule for observing dynamics. Solos should be played a little louder than indicated and accompaniments slightly softer
With that thought we bridge over from pedagogy to Week 1 of the University of Horn Matters Horn Repertoire course, with an initial focus on topics related to orchestral horn playing.
Continue to Week One of Repertoire Course
This is the introductory article of a fourteen week course in horn repertoire, the second semester of a broad overview of horn repertoire, performance, and pedagogy. The series is presented for the educational purposes of our readers.
