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Articles by John Ericson

Indexed in reverse chronological order.

Review: The “Horn Lists” and other Horn Discussion Forums

PUBLISHED: July 12, 2011, John Ericson

There are at present at least five Internet discussion groups on the horn. This review will look at them in the order of their creation, and the newer ones are clearly worth a closer look if unfamiliar to Horn Matters readers. The Horn List was the original horn discussion group, from back in the day [...]

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Of Standing Horses and the Horns of Interlochen

PUBLISHED: July 10, 2011, John Ericson

This summer I was honored to join the horn faculty at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. Founded in 1928 and known for many years as the National Music Camp, the Interlochen Arts Camp is the summer home of some 2,000 arts students. This past Friday the full brass faculty was featured in a recital [...]

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Ten Things I Learned From Verne Reynolds

PUBLISHED: July 6, 2011, John Ericson

Those that follow Horn Matters on Facebook already know that Verne Reynolds, Professor Emeritus at the Eastman School of Music, passed away last week. His obituary may be found here, very worth reading for the quotes and insights from several former students; this photo is linked from the Eastman article. He was 84. Regular Horn [...]

From the Mailbag: What is the Full Range of a Descant Horn?

PUBLISHED: July 5, 2011, John Ericson

A question came in that wondered if the descant horn can play an octave higher than a standard double horn, with the implication that maybe it would easily play higher than a standard horn. Unfortunately, a descant horn has basically the same range as a standard double horn. You can play just as high and [...]

Hornmasters: Tips on How to Practice

PUBLISHED: July 2, 2011, John Ericson

An initial suggestion made by Farkas in The Art of French Horn Playing is to make a chart and plan your practice day. But the bigger picture is to practice what you need to practice to extremes. Get in the habit of practicing “extremes”…. Practice that which is just beyond your ability and progress will [...]

PSA: On the Ewald Quintets and that Ewald/King “Symphony for Brass”

PUBLISHED: June 30, 2011, John Ericson

The Ewald Quintet No. 1 for brass has to be among the most widely performed of all brass quintets in our repertoire and certainly is the most popular among 19th century original works for quintet. Victor Ewald (1860-1935) was a civil engineer but also an avid amateur brass player and composer, particularly of brass music. [...]

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Brass ensemble

Website: Aubrey Brain (1893-1955), Master of his Instrument

PUBLISHED: June 28, 2011, John Ericson

In recent correspondence I was pointed toward a great online resource on Aubrey Brain, father of the virtuoso hornist Dennis Brain. It is by Stephen Gamble, a co-author of the new book Dennis Brain: A Life in Music. I have a brief review of a portion of this book here. The Aubrey Brain website is [...]

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Dennis Brain, Quotations
John Ericson & Bruce Hembd
on the French horn, brass related topics, and the field of classical music.