Plucked
108-470: The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B ♭ (technically a variety of German horn ) is the horn most often used by players in professional orchestras and bands, although the descant and triple horn have become increasingly popular. A musician who plays
216-422: A mellophone . The first is an instrument shaped somewhat like a horn, in that it is formed in a circle and is often referred to as a "classic" or "concert" mellophone. It has piston valves and is played with the right hand on the valves. Most are pitched in the key of F, with facility to switch to E ♭ , either by changing crooks/leadpipes, or by a valve dedicated to this purpose. Older examples often included
324-410: A period instrument . The natural horn can only play from a single harmonic series at a time because there is only one length of tubing available to the horn player. A proficient player can indeed alter the pitch by partially muting the bell with the right hand, thus enabling the player to reach some notes that are not part of the instrument's natural harmonic series – of course this technique also affects
432-491: A trumpet 's) and the Vienna horn uses double-piston valves, or pumpenvalves . The backward-facing orientation of the bell relates to the perceived desirability to create a subdued sound in concert situations, in contrast to the more piercing quality of the trumpet. A horn without valves is known as a natural horn, changing pitch along the natural harmonics of the instrument (similar to a bugle ). Pitch may also be controlled by
540-426: A brass instrument . Slides , valves , crooks (though they are rarely used today), or keys are used to change vibratory length of tubing, thus changing the available harmonic series , while the player's embouchure , lip tension and air flow serve to select the specific harmonic produced from the available series. The view of most scholars (see organology ) is that the term "brass instrument" should be defined by
648-470: A brass instrument accurately. It also plays a major role in some performance situations, such as in marching bands. Traditionally the instruments are normally made of brass , polished and then lacquered to prevent corrosion . Some higher quality and higher cost instruments use gold or silver plating to prevent corrosion. Alternatives to brass include other alloys containing significant amounts of copper or silver. These alloys are biostatic due to
756-452: A conical mouthpiece. One interesting difference between a woodwind instrument and a brass instrument is that woodwind instruments are non-directional. This means that the sound produced propagates in all directions with approximately equal volume. Brass instruments, on the other hand, are highly directional, with most of the sound produced traveling straight outward from the bell. This difference makes it significantly more difficult to record
864-425: A flugelhorn, with piston valves played with the right hand and a forward-pointing bell. These horns are generally considered better marching instruments than regular horns because their position is more stable on the mouth, they project better, and they weigh less. It is primarily used as the middle voice of drum and bugle corps . Though they are usually played with a V-cup cornet-like mouthpiece, their range overlaps
972-491: A fourth valve, such as tubas, euphoniums, piccolo trumpets , etc. that valve lowers the pitch by a perfect fourth; this is used to compensate for the sharpness of the valve combinations 1–3 and 1–2–3 (4 replaces 1–3, 2–4 replaces 1–2–3). All three normal valves may be used in addition to the fourth to increase the instrument's range downwards by a perfect fourth, although with increasingly severe intonation problems. When four-valved models without any kind of compensation play in
1080-470: A fourth, trigger valve, usually operated by the thumb, which routes the air to one set of tubing tuned to F or another tuned to B ♭ which expands the horn range to over four octaves and blends with flutes or clarinets in a woodwind ensemble . Triple horns with five valves are also made, usually tuned in F, B ♭ , and a descant E ♭ or F. There are also double horns with five valves tuned in B ♭ , descant E ♭ or F, and
1188-476: A gimmick, these plastic models have found increasing popularity during the last decade and are now viewed as practice tools that make for more convenient travel as well as a cheaper option for beginning players. Brass instruments are one of the major classical instrument families and are played across a range of musical ensembles . Orchestras include a varying number of brass instruments depending on music style and era, typically: Concert bands generally have
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#17327757903281296-416: A good range of notes simply by varying the tension of their lips (see embouchure ). Most brass instruments are fitted with a removable mouthpiece . Different shapes, sizes and styles of mouthpiece may be used to suit different embouchures, or to more easily produce certain tonal characteristics. Trumpets, trombones, and tubas are characteristically fitted with a cupped mouthpiece, while horns are fitted with
1404-551: A horn is known as a horn player or hornist. Pitch is controlled through the combination of the following factors: speed of air through the instrument (controlled by the player's lungs and thoracic diaphragm ); diameter and tension of lip aperture (by the player's lip muscles—the embouchure ) in the mouthpiece; plus, in a modern horn, the operation of valves by the left hand, which route the air into extra sections of tubing. Most horns have lever-operated rotary valves , but some, especially older horns, use piston valves (similar to
1512-425: A horn mouthpiece and is available as a single tuba in B ♭ or F, or, more recently, as a double tuba similar to the double horn. It is usually played in a range similar to that of the euphonium , but its possible range is the same as that of the horn, extending from low F ♯ , below the bass clef staff to high C above the treble staff when read in F. The low pedal tones are substantially easier to play on
1620-469: A larger brass section than an orchestra, typically: British brass bands are made up entirely of brass, mostly conical bore instruments. Typical membership is: Quintets are common small brass ensembles; a quintet typically contains: International Horn Society The International Horn Society ( IHS ) is an international organization dedicated to players of the horn founded in June 1970. Its goal
1728-454: A long pushrod. Unlike the modern horn, which has grown considerably larger internally (for a bigger, broader, and louder tone), and considerably heavier (with the addition of valves and tubing in the case of the double horn) the Vienna horn very closely mimics the size and weight of the natural horn, (although the valves do add some weight, they are lighter than rotary valves) even using crooks in
1836-422: A performance. Valves' unreliability, musical taste, and players' distrust, among other reasons, slowed their adoption into the mainstream. Many traditional conservatories and players refused to use them at first, claiming that the valveless horn, or natural horn , was a better instrument. Some musicians who specialize in period instruments use a natural horn to play in original performance styles, to try to recapture
1944-424: A prototype of the "double horn" in 1897. The double horn also combines two instruments into a single frame: the original horn in F, and a second, higher horn keyed in B ♭ . By using a fourth valve (usually operated by the thumb), the horn player can quickly switch from the deep, warm tones of the F horn to the higher, brighter tones of the B ♭ horn, or vice versa, as the horn player may choose to have
2052-403: A stopping valve, which greatly simplifies the complicated and difficult hand-stopping technique, though these are rarer. Also common are descant doubles, which typically provide B ♭ and alto F branches. A crucial element in playing the horn deals with the mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is usually placed about 2/3 on the lips with more on the upper. Because of differences in the formation of
2160-419: A trigger on valves other than 2 (especially 3), although many professional quality euphoniums, and indeed other brass band instruments, have a trigger for the main tuning slide. The two major types of valve mechanisms are rotary valves and piston valves . The first piston valve instruments were developed just after the start of the 19th century. The Stölzel valve (invented by Heinrich Stölzel in 1814)
2268-451: A trumpet player from Stan Kenton 's jazz band. Notable works of Ellis' jazz French horn include "Strawberry Soup" and other songs on the album Tears of Joy . Notable improvising horn players in jazz include Julius Watkins , Willie Ruff , John Graas , David Amram , John Clark , Vincent Chancey , Giovanni Hoffer, Arkady Shilkloper , Adam Unsworth, and Tom Varner . People who are more notable for their other achievements, but also play
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#17327757903282376-431: A trumpet, a person lays out a pattern and shapes sheet metal into a bell-shape using templates, machine tools, handtools, and blueprints. The maker cuts out the bell blank, using hand or power shears. He hammers the blank over a bell-shaped mandrel, and butts the seam, using a notching tool. The seam is brazed, using a torch and smoothed using a hammer or file. A draw bench or arbor press equipped with expandable lead plug
2484-432: A very thin rim. The Viennese horn requires very specialized technique and can be quite challenging to play, even for accomplished players of modern horns. The Vienna horn has a warmer, softer sound than the modern horn. Its pumpenvalves facilitate a continuous transition between notes ( glissando ); conversely, a more precise operating of the valves is required to avoid notes that sound out of tune. Two instruments are called
2592-456: Is a notable three-movement work. Brahms had a lifelong love-affair with the instrument, with many prominently featured parts throughout his four symphonies. Despite his use of natural horns in his work (e.g., Horns in B♮ in the second movement of his Symphony No. 2 ), players today typically play Brahms's music on modern valved instruments. There is an abundance of chamber music repertoire for horn. It
2700-521: Is a rare brass instrument that is essentially a horn modified to have a larger bell throat and a vertical bell. Despite its name and its somewhat tuba-shaped appearance, it is generally not considered part of the tuba family, because the instrument's relatively narrow bore causes it to play more like a horn. Invented for Richard Wagner specifically for his work Der Ring des Nibelungen , it has since been written for by various other composers, including Bruckner , Stravinsky and Richard Strauss . It uses
2808-554: Is a standard member of the wind quintet and brass quintet , and often appears in other configurations, such as Brahms' Horn Trio for violin, horn and piano (for which, however, Brahms specified the natural horn). Also, the horn can be used by itself in a horn ensemble or "horn choir". The horn choir is especially practical because the extended range of the horn provides the composer or arranger with more possibilities, registerally, sonically, and contrapuntally. A classical orchestra usually has at least two French horn players. Typically,
2916-410: Is awkward in its shape and does not lend itself well to transport where space is shared or limited, especially on planes. To compensate, horn makers can make the bell detachable; this allows for smaller and more manageable horn cases. The variety in horn history necessitates consideration of the natural horn, Vienna horn, mellophone, marching horn, and Wagner tuba. The natural horn is the ancestor of
3024-412: Is noted in the table, despite the exposition of four-valve and also five-valve systems (the latter used on the tuba) being incomplete in this article. Since valves lower the pitch, a valve that makes a pitch too low (flat) creates an interval wider than desired, while a valve that plays sharp creates an interval narrower than desired. Intonation deficiencies of brass instruments that are independent of
3132-418: Is occasionally found in sections playing Geyer/Knopf model equipment. A full double horn has two full-length sets of slides (one set for the B ♭ side and a longer set for the F side); a compensating double horn only has full-length slides for the B ♭ side and a shorter set of slides whose length can be added to the B ♭ slides to give the necessary tubing length for playing in F. As for
3240-415: Is pitched in the key of B ♭ , the same as the B ♭ side of a double horn or valve trombone (which is also the same as a bass trumpet , an octave below a normal trumpet). It is also available in F alto, one octave above the F side of a double horn (or the high F side of a triple horn). The marching horn is also played with a horn mouthpiece (unlike the mellophone, which needs an adapter to fit
3348-406: Is significantly lower than the fundamental frequency of the series that the other resonances are overtones of. Depending on the instrument and the skill of the player, the missing fundamental of the series can still be played as a pedal tone , which relies mainly on vibration at the overtone frequencies to produce the fundamental pitch. The bore diameter in relation to length determines whether
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3456-472: Is the norm, usually in a double, sometimes even triple configuration. Some valved brass instruments provide triggers or throws that manually lengthen (or, less commonly, shorten) the main tuning slide, a valve slide, or the main tubing. These mechanisms alter the pitch of notes that are naturally sharp in a specific register of the instrument, or shift the instrument to another playing range. Triggers and throws permit speedy adjustment while playing. Trigger
3564-409: Is to promote horn playing, education and fellowship. The society aims to bring together horn players, educators, and enthusiasts from around the world to share knowledge and experience. It has over 3500 members from 55 countries. The society's activities include holding workshops, lectures, and seminars that are open to the public, publishing a journal and newsletters that feature materials related to
3672-432: Is used in two senses: A throw is a simple metal grip for the player's finger or thumb, attached to a valve slide. The general term "throw" can describe a u-hook, a saddle (u-shaped grips), or a ring (ring-shape grip) in which a player's finger or thumb rests. A player extends a finger or thumb to lengthen a slide, and retracts the finger to return the slide to its original position. Triggers or throws are sometimes found on
3780-421: Is used to shape and smooth the bell and bell neck over a mandrel. A lathe is used to spin the bell head and to form a bead at the edge of bell head. Previously shaped bell necks are annealed, using a hand torch to soften the metal for further bending. Scratches are removed from the bell using abrasive-coated cloth. A few specialty instruments are made from wood. Instruments made mostly from plastic emerged in
3888-410: The bore , that is, the tubing between the mouthpiece and the flaring of the tubing into the bell . Those two generalizations are with regard to While all modern valved and slide brass instruments consist in part of conical and in part of cylindrical tubing, they are divided as follows: The resonances of a brass instrument resemble a harmonic series , with the exception of the lowest resonance, which
3996-404: The oligodynamic effect , and thus suppress growth of molds , fungi or bacteria . Brass instruments constructed from stainless steel or aluminium have good sound quality but are rapidly colonized by microorganisms and become unpleasant to play. Most higher quality instruments are designed to prevent or reduce galvanic corrosion between any steel in the valves and springs, and the brass of
4104-474: The shofar , a ram's horn, which plays an important role in Jewish religious rituals . Early metal horns were less complex than modern horns, consisting of brass tubes, wound around a few times, with a slightly flared opening (the bell). These early "hunting" horns were originally played on a hunt , often while mounted, and the sound they produced was called a recheat ). Change of pitch was controlled entirely by
4212-468: The 1st note of the harmonic series ... A horn giving the C of an open 8 ft organ pipe had to be 16 ft (5 m). long. Half its length was practically useless ... it was found that if the calibre of tube was sufficiently enlarged in proportion to its length, the instrument could be relied upon to give its fundamental note in all normal circumstances. – Cecil Forsyth, Orchestration , p. 86 The instruments in this list fall for various reasons outside
4320-407: The 2010s as a cheaper and more robust alternative to brass. Plastic instruments could come in almost any colour. The sound plastic instruments produce is different from the one of brass, lacquer, gold or silver. This is because plastic is much less dense, or rather has less matter in a given space as compared to the aforementioned which causes vibrations to occur differently. While originally seen as
4428-702: The Alex 103 is extremely popular. These horns do not fit strictly into the Kruspe or Knopf camps, but have features of both. Alexander prefers the traditional medium bell size, which they have produced for many years, whereas Paxman do offer their models in a range of bell throat sizes. In the United States, the Conn 8D, a mass-produced instrument based on the Kruspe design, has been extremely popular in many areas (New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Philadelphia). Since roughly
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4536-477: The Compensation system, each of the first two (or three) valves has an additional set of tubing extending from the back of the valve. When the third (or fourth) valve is depressed in combination with another one, the air is routed through both the usual set of tubing plus the extra one, so that the pitch is lowered by an appropriate amount. This allows compensating instruments to play with accurate intonation in
4644-423: The F horn has the "typical" horn sound, above third-space C accuracy is a concern for the majority of players because, by its nature, one plays high in the horn's harmonic series where the overtones are closer together. This led to the development of the B ♭ horn, which, although easier to play accurately, has a less desirable sound in the mid and especially the low register where it is not able to play all of
4752-608: The Vienna horn. Additionally, single F alto and B ♭ alto descants are used in the performance of some baroque horn concertos and F, B ♭ and F alto singles are occasionally used by jazz performers. Dennis Brain 's benchmark recordings of the Mozart Horn Concerti were made on a single B ♭ instrument by Gebr. Alexander , now on display at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Despite
4860-480: The Wagner tuba than on the horn. Wagner viewed the regular horn as a woodwind rather than a brass instrument, evidenced by his placing of the horn parts in his orchestral scores in the woodwind group and not in their usual place above the trumpets in the brass section. Discussion of the repertoire of horns must recognize the different needs of orchestras and concert bands in contrast to marching bands, as above, but also
4968-405: The ability to be played in the keys of D and/or C as well. Manufacturing of this instrument sharply decreased in the middle of the 20th century, and this mellophone (or mellophonium) rarely appears today. The second instrument is used in modern brass bands and marching bands, and is more accurately called a "marching mellophone". A derivative of the F alto horn , it is keyed in F. It is shaped like
5076-407: The action of three valves had become almost universal by (at latest) 1864 as witnessed by Arban's method published in that year. The effect of a particular combination of valves may be seen in the table below. This table is correct for the core three-valve layout on almost any modern valved brass instrument. The most common four-valve layout is a superset of the well-established three-valve layout and
5184-636: The air being doubled back through the main valves. In early designs, this led to sharp bends in the tubing and other obstructions of the air-flow. Some manufacturers therefore preferred adding more 'straight' valves instead, which for example could be pitched a little lower than the 2nd and 1st valves and were intended to be used instead of these in the respective valve combinations. While no longer featured in euphoniums for decades, many professional tubas are still built like this, with five valves being common on CC- and BB ♭ -tubas and five or six valves on F-tubas. Compensating double horns can also suffer from
5292-480: The bell throat than the Geyer wrap horns. Traditionally, Kruspe models are constructed from nickel silver (also called German silver, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc, containing no actual silver) while Geyer horns tend to be of yellow brass; although these differences in finish aren't as prevalent today - horns of both finishes can be found in either wrap. Both models have their own strengths and weaknesses, and while
5400-524: The choice of instrument is very personal, an orchestral horn section is usually found to have either one or the other, owing to the differences in tone color, response, and projection of the two different styles. In Europe the most popular horns are arguably those made by Gebr. Alexander, of Mainz (particularly the Alexander 103), and those made by Paxman in London. In Germany and the Benelux countries,
5508-430: The common playing range of the horn. This mouthpiece switch makes the mellophone louder, less mellow, and more brassy and brilliant, making it more appropriate for marching bands. Often now with the use of converters, traditional conical horn mouthpieces are used to achieve the more mellow sound of a horn to make the marching band sound more like a concert band. As they are pitched in F or G and their range overlaps that of
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#17327757903285616-404: The corresponding register, the sharpness becomes so severe that players must finger the note a half-step below the one they are trying to play. This eliminates the note a half-step above their open fundamental. Manufacturers of low brass instruments may choose one or a combination of four basic approaches to compensate for the tuning difficulties, whose respective merits are subject to debate: In
5724-530: The deficiencies in the valve system. In most trumpets and cornets, the compensation must be provided by extending the third valve slide with the third or fourth finger, and the first valve slide with the left hand thumb (see Trigger or throw below). This is used to lower the pitch of the 1–3 and 1–2–3 valve combinations. On the trumpet and cornet, these valve combinations correspond to low D, low C ♯ , low G, and low F ♯ , so chromatically, to stay in tune, one must use this method. In instruments with
5832-421: The early 1990s, however, for reasons ranging from changing tastes to a general dislike of Conn's newer 8Ds, orchestras have been moving away from the popular Conn 8D. Geyer model horns (by Carl Geyer, Karl Hill, Keith Berg, Steve Lewis, Jerry Lechniuk, Dan Rauch , and Ricco-Kuhn) are used in other areas (San Francisco, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, Houston). The CF Schmidt double, with its unique piston change valve,
5940-439: The first and third horns being high and the second and fourth horns being low. This configuration serves multiple purposes. It is easier to play high when the adjacent player is playing low and vice versa. Pairing makes it easier to write for horns, as the third and fourth horns can take over from the first and second horns or play contrasting material. For example, if the piece is in C minor, the first and second horns might be in C,
6048-414: The first horn played a high part and the second horn played a low part. Composers from Beethoven (early 1800s) onwards commonly used four horns. Here, the first and second horns played as a pair (first horn being high, second horn being low), and the third and fourth horns played as another pair (third horn being high, fourth horn being low). Music written for the modern horn follows a similar pattern with
6156-423: The first instrument makers who developed and standardized them. The Kruspe wrap locates the B ♭ change valve above the first valve, near the thumb. The Geyer wrap has the change valve behind the third valve, near the little finger (although the valve's trigger is still played with the thumb). In effect, the air flows in a completely different direction on the other model. Kruspe wrap horns tend to be larger in
6264-464: The first valve slide. They are operated by the player's thumb and are used to adjust a large range of notes using the first valve, most notably the player's written top line F, the A above directly above that, and the B ♭ above that. Other notes that require the first valve slide, but are not as problematic without it include the first line E, the F above that, the A above that, and the third line B ♭ . Triggers or throws are often found on
6372-438: The first, second or third valves are pressed; pressing the thumb valve takes these secondary valve slides and the extra length of main tubing out of play to produce a shorter B ♭ horn. A later "full double" design has completely separate valve section tubing for the two sides, and is considered superior, although rather heavier in weight. Initially, compensated instruments tended to sound stuffy and blow less freely due to
6480-453: The following ratios and comparisons to 12-tone equal tuning and to a common five-limit tuning in C: The additional tubing for each valve usually features a short tuning slide of its own for fine adjustment of the valve's tuning, except when it is too short to make this practicable. For the first and third valves this is often designed to be adjusted as the instrument is played, to account for
6588-432: The front of the horn, between the mouthpiece and the instrument. Although instead of the full range of keys, Vienna horn players usually use an F crook and it is looked down upon to use others, though switching to an A or B ♭ crook for higher pitched music does happen on occasion. Vienna horns are often used with funnel shaped mouthpieces similar to those used on the natural horn, with very little (if any) backbore and
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#17327757903286696-434: The full double horn, the air is routed through the appropriate slide(s) by use of the fourth valve. Compensating double horns are lighter than full double horns because of this design. A triple horn has more tubing, adding a descant horn to the double horn and hence giving more assistance for the high range. The descant horn is most commonly in F, sounding an octave higher than the normal F horn. The horn, although not large,
6804-414: The fundamental tone or the first overtone is the lowest partial practically available to the player in terms of playability and musicality, dividing brass instruments into whole-tube and half-tube instruments. These terms stem from a comparison to organ pipes , which produce the same pitch as the fundamental pedal tone of a brass instrument of equal length. Neither the horns nor the trumpet could produce
6912-411: The horn in recent years". It holds an annual symposium , and publishes a journal, The Horn Call . It established and maintains an archive and research facility pertaining to the horn. The society also works closely with music teachers and presents honors and recognition for distinctive service relating to the horn. One of the first actions of the society, under the presidency of Barry Tuckwell ,
7020-641: The horn mouthpiece). These instruments are primarily used in marching bands so that the sound comes from a forward-facing bell, as dissipation of the sound from the backward-facing bell becomes a concern in open-air environments. Many college marching bands and drum corps, however, use mellophones instead, which, with many marching bands, better balance the tone of the other brass instruments; additionally, mellophones require less special training of trumpeters, who considerably outnumber horn players. Some college marching bands use marching French horns when accompanying choirs as to not overpower their singing. The Wagner tuba
7128-428: The horn repertoire. These include Poulenc ( Elegie ) and Saint-Saëns ( Morceau de Concert for horn and orchestra , op. 94 and Romance , op. 36). Others, particularly Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , whose friend Joseph Leutgeb was a noted horn player, wrote extensively for the instrument, including concerti and other solo works. Mozart's A Musical Joke satirizes the limitations of contemporary horn playing, including
7236-493: The horn set into B ♭ by default by making a simple adjustment to the valves. The two sets of tones are commonly called "sides" of the horn. Using the fourth valve not only changes the basic length (and thus the harmonic series and pitch) of the instrument, it also causes the three main valves to use proportionate slide lengths. In the US, the two most common styles ("wraps") of double horns are named Kruspe and Geyer/Knopf, after
7344-411: The horn, include actors Ewan McGregor and David Ogden Stiers , comedian and television host Jon Stewart , journalist Chuck Todd , The Who bassist and singer John Entwistle , and rapper and record producer B.o.B . Brass instrument A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of
7452-433: The horn, mellophones can be used in place of the horn in brass and marching band settings. Mellophones are, however, sometimes unpopular with horn players because the mouthpiece change can be difficult and requires a different embouchure . Mouthpiece adapters are available so that a horn mouthpiece can fit into the mellophone lead pipe (some of them are designed to where the end is bent at a 45-degree angle so that they can use
7560-452: The horn. The IHS encourages composers and arrangers to write music featuring the horn, and fosters competitions for new repertoire featuring the horn. According to the academic Erin Mullen, writing in 2004, the society's efforts to encourage composition, "along with the more personal endeavors of a few enterprising composers, have greatly increased the number of high-quality works written for
7668-472: The instrument be simply called the horn . There is also a more specific use of "French horn" to describe a particular horn type, differentiated from the German horn and Vienna horn . In this sense, "French horn" refers to a narrow-bore instrument (10.8–11.0 mm [0.43–0.43 in]) with three Périnet (piston) valves. It retains the narrow bell-throat and mouthpipe crooks of the orchestral hand horn of
7776-552: The instrument. Designs exist, although rare, in which this behaviour is reversed, i.e., pressing a valve removes a length of tubing rather than adding one. One modern example of such an ascending valve is the Yamaha YSL-350C trombone, in which the extra valve tubing is normally engaged to pitch the instrument in B ♭ , and pressing the thumb lever removes a whole step to pitch the instrument in C. Valves require regular lubrication . A core standard valve layout based on
7884-521: The introduction of valves, the single F horn proved difficult for use in the highest range, where the partials grew closer and closer, making accuracy a great challenge. An early solution was simply to use a horn of higher pitch—usually B ♭ . The use of the F versus the B ♭ horn was extensively debated among horn players of the late 19th century, until the German horn maker Eduard Kruspe (namesake of his family's brass instrument firm) produced
7992-630: The late 17th century. At that time, French makers were preeminent in the manufacture of hunting horns and were credited with creating the now-familiar, circular "hoop" shape of the instrument. As a result, these instruments were often called, even in English, by their French names: trompe de chasse or cor de chasse (the clear modern distinction between trompes [trumpets] and cors [horns] did not exist at that time). German makers first devised crooks to make such horns playable in different keys—so musicians came to use "French" and "German" to distinguish
8100-459: The late 18th century, and most often has an "ascending" third valve. This is a whole-tone valve arranged so that with the valve in the "up" position the valve loop is engaged, but when the valve is pressed the loop is cut out, raising the pitch by a whole tone. As the name indicates, humans originally used to blow on the actual horns of animals before starting to emulate naturally occurring horns with metal ones. The use of animal horns survives with
8208-420: The late-19th century. There were many different versions of early valves, most being variants of the piston and rotary systems used in modern horns. Early valves by Blühmel are cited as possibly the first rotary valve, but the first confirmed rotary valve design was in 1832 by Joseph Riedl in Vienna. Horns may be classified into single horn, double horn, compensating double horn, and triple horn as well as having
8316-482: The length of the instrument, adjusting the tuning up to the distance between two adjacent harmonics depending on how much of the opening was covered. In 1818 the German makers Heinrich Stölzel and Friedrich Blümel patented the first valved horn, using rotary valves. François Périnet introduced piston valves in France about 1839. The use of valves initially aimed to overcome problems associated with changing crooks during
8424-572: The lips (the horn not being equipped with valves until the 19th century. Without valves, only the notes within the harmonic series are available. By combining a long length with a narrow bore, the French horn's design allows the player to easily reach the higher overtones which differ by whole tones or less, thus making it capable of playing melodies before valves were invented. Early horns were commonly pitched in B ♭ alto, A, A ♭ , G, F, E, E ♭ , D, C, and B ♭ basso. Since
8532-404: The lips and teeth of different players, some tend to play with the mouthpiece slightly off center. Although the exact side-to-side placement of the mouthpiece varies for most horn players, the up-and-down placement of the mouthpiece is generally two-thirds on the upper lip and one-third on the lower lip. When playing higher notes, the majority of players exert a small degree of additional pressure on
8640-556: The lips using the mouthpiece. However, this is undesirable from the perspective of both endurance and tone: excessive mouthpiece pressure makes the horn sound forced and harsh and decreases the player's stamina due to the resulting constricted flow of blood to the lips and lip muscles. Added pressure from the lips to the mouthpiece can also result in tension in the face resulting in what brass players often call "pushing". As mentioned before, this results in an undesirable sound, and loss of stamina. The name "French horn" first came into use in
8748-426: The mellophone, it is unlikely that the instrument was ever intended as a substitute for the horn, mainly because of the fundamental differences described. As an instrument it compromises between the ability to sound like a horn, while being used like a trumpet or flugelhorn, a tradeoff that sacrifices acoustic properties for ergonomics. The marching horn is quite similar to the mellophone in shape and appearance, but it
8856-399: The modern horn. It is essentially descended from hunting horns, with its pitch controlled by air speed, aperture (opening of the lips through which air passes) and the use of the right hand moving around, as well as in and out of the bell. Although a few recent composers have written specifically for the natural horn (e.g., György Ligeti 's Hamburg Concerto ), today it is played primarily as
8964-403: The notes. The solution has been the development of the double horn, which combines the two into one horn with a single lead pipe and bell. Both main types of single horns are still used today as student models because they are cheaper and lighter than double horns. In addition, the single B ♭ horns are sometimes used in solo and chamber performances and the single F survives orchestrally as
9072-466: The octave below their open second partial, which is critical for tubas and euphoniums in much of their repertoire. The compensating system was applied to horns to serve a different purpose. It was used to allow a double horn in F and B ♭ to ease playing difficulties in the high register. In contrast to the system in use in tubas and euphoniums, the default 'side' of the horn is the longer F horn, with secondary lengths of tubing coming into play when
9180-413: The only notes available were those on the harmonic series of one of those pitches, horn-players had no ability to play in different keys. The remedy for this limitation was the use of crooks , i.e., sections of tubing of differing length that, when inserted, altered the length of the instrument, and thus its pitch. In the mid-18th century, horn players began to insert the right hand into the bell to change
9288-444: The option of detachable bells. Single horns use a single set of tubes connected to the valves. This allows for simplicity of use and a much lighter weight. They are usually in the keys of F or B ♭ , although many F horns have longer slides to tune them to E ♭ , and almost all B ♭ horns have a valve to put them in the key of A. The problem with single horns is the inevitable choice between accuracy or tone – while
9396-412: The player's lips. The term labrosone , from Latin elements meaning "lip" and "sound", is also used for the group, since instruments employing this "lip reed" method of sound production can be made from other materials like wood or animal horn, particularly early or traditional instruments such as the cornett , alphorn or shofar . There are several factors involved in producing different pitches on
9504-413: The position of the hand in the bell, in effect reducing the bell's diameter. The pitch of any note can easily be raised or lowered by adjusting the hand position in the bell. The key of a natural horn can be changed by adding different crooks of different lengths. Three valves control the flow of air in the single horn , which is tuned to F or less commonly B ♭ . The more common double horn has
9612-412: The principal if the part is tiring to play. Often the assistant is asked to play a passage after resting a long time. Also, he or she may be asked to enter in the middle of a passage, exactly matching the sound, articulation, and overall interpretation of the principal, thus enabling the principal horn to rest a bit. The French horn was at first rarely used in jazz music. (Note that colloquially in jazz,
9720-437: The quality of the tone. The player has a choice of key by using crooks to change the length of tubing. The Vienna horn is a special horn used primarily in Vienna , Austria . Instead of using rotary valves or piston valves , it uses the pumpenvalve (or Vienna valve), which is a double-piston operating inside the valve slides, and usually situated on the opposite side of the corpus from the player's left hand, and operated by
9828-448: The risk of selecting the wrong crook by mistake. The development of the valve horn was exploited by romantic composers such as Bruckner , Mahler , and Richard Strauss , whose father was a well-known professional horn player. Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks contains one of the best known horn solos from this period, relying on the chromatic facility of the valved horn. Schumann 's Konzertstück for four horns and orchestra
9936-427: The same embouchure), but this does not compensate for the many differences that a horn player must adapt to. The "feel" of the mellophone can be foreign to a horn player. Another unfamiliar aspect of the mellophone is that it is designed to be played with the right hand instead of the left (though it can be played with the left). Intonation can also be an issue with the mellophone. While horn players may be asked to play
10044-457: The scope of much of the discussion above regarding families of brass instruments. Valves are used to change the length of tubing of a brass instrument allowing the player to reach the notes of various harmonic series. Each valve pressed diverts the air stream through additional tubing, individually or in conjunction with other valves. This lengthens the vibrating air column thus lowering the fundamental tone and associated harmonic series produced by
10152-749: The simple hunting horn from the newer horn with crooks, which in England was also called the Italian name corno cromatico (chromatic horn). More recently, "French horn" is often used colloquially, though the adjective has normally been avoided when referring to the European orchestral horn, ever since the German horn began replacing the French-style instrument in British orchestras around 1930. The International Horn Society has recommended since 1971 that
10260-467: The sound of an older piece's original performances. The use of valves , however, opened up a great deal more flexibility for playing in different keys; in effect, the horn became an entirely different instrument, fully chromatic for the first time. Valves were originally used primarily as a means to play in different keys without crooks, not for harmonic playing. That is reflected in compositions for horns, which only began to include chromatic passages in
10368-464: The stuffiness resulting from the air being passed through the valve section twice, but as this really only affects the longer F side, a compensating double can be very useful for a 1st or 3rd horn player, who uses the F side less. Another approach was the addition of two sets of slides for different parts of the range. Some euphoniums and tubas were built like this, but today, this approach has become highly exotic for all instruments except horns, where it
10476-489: The third valve slide. They are operated by the player's fourth finger, and are used to adjust the lower D and C ♯ . Trumpets typically use throws, whilst cornets may have a throw or trigger. Trombone triggers are primarily but not exclusively installed on the F-trigger, bass, and contrabass trombones to alter the length of tubing, thus making certain ranges and pitches more accessible. A euphonium occasionally has
10584-399: The tonic major key, which could get most of the notes, and the third and fourth horns might be in E ♭ , the relative major key, to fill in the gaps. Many orchestral horn sections in the 2010s also have an assistant who doubles the first horn part for selected passages, joining in loud parts, playing instead of the principal if there is a first horn solo approaching, or alternating with
10692-414: The tuba. See also the article Brass Instrument Valves . Because the player of a brass instrument has direct control of the prime vibrator (the lips), brass instruments exploit the player's ability to select the harmonic at which the instrument's column of air vibrates. By making the instrument about twice as long as the equivalent woodwind instrument and starting with the second harmonic, players can get
10800-532: The tubing has an inversely proportional effect on pitch ( Pitch of brass instruments ), while pitch perception is logarithmic, there is no way for a simple, uncompensated addition of length to be correct in every combination when compared with the pitches of the open tubing and the other valves. For example, given a length of tubing equaling 100 units of length when open, one may obtain the following tuning discrepancies: Playing notes using valves (notably 1st + 3rd and 1st + 2nd + 3rd) requires compensation to adjust
10908-414: The tubing. This may take the form of desiccant design, to keep the valves dry, sacrificial zincs , replaceable valve cores and springs, plastic insulating washers, or nonconductive or noble materials for the valve cores and springs. Some instruments use several such features. The process of making the large open end (bell) of a brass instrument is called metal beating . In making the bell of, for example,
11016-416: The tuning appropriately, either by the player's lip-and-breath control, via mechanical assistance of some sort, or, in the case of horns, by the position of the stopping hand in the bell. 'T' stands for trigger on a trombone. Traditionally the valves lower the pitch of the instrument by adding extra lengths of tubing based on a just tuning : Combining the valves and the harmonics of the instrument leads to
11124-415: The tuning or temperament system are inherent in the physics of the most popular valve design, which uses a small number of valves in combination to avoid redundant and heavy lengths of tubing (this is entirely separate from the slight deficiencies between Western music's dominant equal (even) temperament system and the just (not equal) temperament of the harmonic series itself). Since each lengthening of
11232-411: The use of horns in a wide variety of music, including chamber music and jazz. The horn is most often used as an orchestral and concert band instrument, with its singular tone being employed by composers to achieve specific effects. Leopold Mozart , for example, used horns to signify the hunt, as in his Jagdsinfonie (hunting symphony). Telemann wrote much for the horn, and it features prominently in
11340-780: The way the sound is made, as above, and not by whether the instrument is actually made of brass . Thus one finds brass instruments made of wood, like the alphorn , the cornett , the serpent and the didgeridoo , while some woodwind instruments are made of brass, like the saxophone . Modern brass instruments generally come in one of two families: Plucked There are two other families that have, in general, become functionally obsolete for practical purposes. Instruments of both types, however, are sometimes used for period-instrument performances of Baroque or Classical pieces. In more modern compositions, they are occasionally used for their intonation or tone color. Brass instruments may also be characterised by two generalizations about geometry of
11448-538: The word "horn" refers to any wind instrument.) Notable exponents, however, began including French horn in jazz pieces and ensembles. These include composer/arranger Gil Evans who included the French horn as an ensemble instrument from the 1940s, first in Claude Thornhill 's groups, and later with the pioneering cool jazz nonet (nine-piece group) led by trumpeter Miles Davis , and in many other projects that sometimes also featured Davis, as well as Don Ellis ,
11556-499: The work of Handel and in Bach 's Brandenburg Concerto no. 1 . Once the technique of hand-stopping had been developed, allowing fully chromatic playing, composers began to write seriously for the horn. Gustav Mahler made great use of the horn's uniquely haunting and distant sound in his symphonies, notably the famous Nachtmusik (serenade) section of his Symphony No. 7 . Many composers have written works that have become favorites in
11664-422: Was an early variety. In the mid 19th century the Vienna valve was an improved design. However many professional musicians preferred rotary valves for quicker, more reliable action, until better designs of piston valves were mass manufactured towards the end of the 19th century. Since the early decades of the 20th century, piston valves have been the most common on brass instruments except for the orchestral horn and
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