- - Please visit: Legacy Horn Experience - -
Concluding for now this series of PDF downloads from 19th century method books are a pair of great downloads from a publication with a great title, the Grand Method for the French Horn by Meifred, Gallay and Dauprat.
While the title makes it sound like the great horn teachers Joseph Emile Meifred, Louis François Dauprat, and Jacques François Gallay all sat down together and worked out a big book of exercises and such, in reality this was put together by a publisher in London around 1880. If they had proper permission or if they just stole the materials from the method books of the three I don’t know. Copyright laws back then were not quite what they are today.
The best of the materials, in terms of use on the modern horn, are these two PDF packets of duets and etudes. These originated in the Gallay Méthode pour le Cor, Op.54, which was published in 1843. The duets and etudes show the melodic gift of this prolific composer of horn music well. It was all intended for the natural horn, but the etudes in particular will still be a challenge for the modern horn player.
Among all the PDFs I have posted recently these musically are the best. The only negative I would note are the French style rests. You will get the hang of reading them pretty quickly, though, and in terms of the rests the musical context is always clear.
PDFs of this public domain music may be accessed from our PDF download library or from the links directly below:
- 12 Etudes by Gallay from the Grand Method for the French Horn by Meifred, Gallay and Dauprat
- 14 Duets by Gallay from the Grand Method for the French Horn by Meifred, Gallay and Dauprat
The 12 etudes are actually two groups of six; first up are six melodies followed by six characteristic studies. Note also there are two duets (exercises) and then 12 duets. Those are also from the Gallay Méthode, presented in the same location preceding the duets.
For more on Gallay please see this prior Horn Matters article on his Unmeasured Preludes. There I offer this brief introductory biographical info as well:
One of the most recognized nineteenth-century horn teachers is Jacques-François Gallay (1795-1864). Gallay studied with Louis-François Dauprat (1787-1868) at the Paris Conservatory, entering his studio at the relatively late age of 25. In addition to performing as an operatic and chamber musician, Gallay succeeded Dauprat at the Conservatory, serving on the faculty from 1842 until his death in 1864.
