Bruce Hembd
What Makes a Performance Great?
Listening to music, looking at fine art or in appreciating a great meal, what is it that makes the experience great, memorable and...
Stopped Horn: Up or Down? Does it Matter?
In a past tongue-in-cheek article -- "How to Provoke a Horn Geek" -- I poked a little fun a some hot button issues in...
Little Boy Blue, Come Blow Your Horn
The Blue Boy (c. 1770) is the most famous work by English portrait artist Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788).
Though not related, it is often mistaken as...
Findings from The Institute of Musical Acoustics
A recent web site find had me wanting for better skills in the German language. Fortunately, the Institute for Viennese Sound Style IWK (Musical...
Son of Clam; A Twist on René Magritte
Artist René Magritte has been quoted on his work Son of Man, saying:
Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what...
Lip Trills
The Mozart horn concertos absolutely require elegant, controlled trills. The most tasteful and elegant musicianship cannot make up for a clumsy or coarse sounding...
Seven Tips for Cadenzas
A long orchestral tutti builds and builds, leading towards an inevitable resolution and long fermata. The conductor signals a cut-off and after a few...
On Phrasing in Mozart
Clues to look for in plotting an interpretation.
In planning out a performance of a Mozart horn concerto, some theoretical knowledge of musical forms is...
Recordings as a Guide in the Journey for Inspiration
I once knew a teacher who discouraged students from listening to recordings when preparing solo repertoire.
This teacher felt that it was important for the...
Mozart Horn Concertos: Editions
Even when working from a critical edition of the Mozart horn concertos, one should bear in mind that at least of some dynamics and articulations...