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As we approach the end of the semester it is again very clear that a course of this type cannot possibly cover it all. But we will hit a few highlights and point to the fact there is much more out there.
What recent works will stand the test of time?
A big challenge of this course for the teacher is looking at the horn repertoire composed in the most recent 50 years or so. Further back from that rough date it is fairly clear which works have become standards. Some more recent works are performed often (such as The Glass Bead Game of James Beckel, for one example), but will it become a standard? Only time will really tell.
One focus this week (and next) will be on a group of solo and chamber works that are performed frequently on student recitals and in professional contexts. One good example is the Britten: Serenade, Op. 31 for Tenor, Horn, and Strings; it is not on student recitals often (in part due to it not sounding as compelling with piano), but is scheduled regularly by major orchestras and has been recorded many times. We will cover as many works as time allows in class at ASU — there is much to attempt to cover — from standards by Bozza, Hindemith, Wilder, etc., on to many other possible works.
For those reading this course online only I would offer the following works as examples, highlighting some of my favorites briefly in the following articles:
- 20th century horn favorites 1: Gliere and Nielsen
- 20th century horn favorites 2: Schmid and Cooke
- 20th century horn favorites 3: Madsen
But there really is more that needs highlighted
Over years of teaching this course I realized that spent less and less time on the content I had originally planned for next week. This has allowed me to spend extra time with some less performed but significant works from recent composers and in genres outside of the Classical music scene.
Topics which will flow into the class session this week and next include:
Female composers
For one very prime example of a topic that could have filled an entire semester, visit and skim over the female composers and the horn website linked below:
Within any sub-topic, as well, the question would still be which works are the best? In terms of Female composers I would particularly point readers to this article by Dr. Lin Foulk as a starting point, and please consider learning on your own something from her list. Also consider that you could be using etudes by female composers as well.
Non-western music
Another piece I love to highlight with the class is a work for horn and gamelan by Lou Harrison. Intrigued? More about it here.
Jazz and the horn
A final figure I want to be sure to spend some time with is the jazz horn legend Julius Watkins. His name and music is sadly fading from memory, and is a reminder that there is some really great music out there beyond the traditional horn music that has been the focus of this semester.
The topic of chamber music
And then we have chamber music, there are so many works that could be mentioned that have been composed in recent years. One I would highlight online is Table for Three at Chez Janau for horn, bass trombone, and piano by Paul Ferguson. I commissioned this four movement work, and I feel it came out great! Below is the first movement.
So much music, so little time
Next week we wrap things up. Everyone reading this should make a point to explore some of the more recent works written for the horn, I am sure there are gems out there that will be considered standard works in the future.
Continue to Week 14 of Repertoire Course
This is week 13 of a fourteen week course in horn repertoire, the second semester of a broad overview of horn repertoire, performance, and pedagogy. The introductory article is here, and the series is presented for the educational purposes of our readers.
