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The
GPO French Horn Tutorial
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1) The Instrument
The French Horn (hereinafter called the Horn - it's what it's called in Europe, anyway; there's nothing really French about it) is made of brass, but horn players do not like to be considered brass players, rather "horn players" (privately believing themselves a cut above brass players). And why not? The horn is a more difficult instrument to play, and has usually a more important part to play, and more notes to play, than anyone in the main brass section in the symphony orchestra. (It's another story in band music, of course.)
But what other brass instrument is not only put near the back of the orchestra, but has its bell facing backwards, and the player's hand stuffed into it, muffling the sound? Oh, and played left-handed into the bargain. Something of a handicap from the start, wouldn't you say?
Why the hand in the bell? Originally the idea of the inserted hand was to make possible notes which were missing from the old valveless horn. Pushing the hand in the bell lowers the pitch in varying degrees, unless it is jammed in really tight, when it suddenly jumps up a semitone. More of this later. Once the idea of supporting the bell with the right hand became established, things stayed that way after the valves were added. Although the valve system makes possible a complete chromatic scale, the right hand is still inserted for two reasons: 1) Having it there tones down the brassiness, giving the horn a more rounded and warmer sound which had become valued in its own right; 2) In certain circumstances it can be difficult to be dead in tune, and the hand is able to correct pitching errors.
[To see how the hand works: - extend your right hand forwards a little, as if about to shake hands. Now close the fingers and thumb together, just to seal the gaps between them. Keeping the fingers still pointing forwards, now bend the wrist leftwards and forwards a little. The base of the wrist would lie across the horn's bell. The extent to which you do this would decide how much you modify the brassiness. In the true "stopped horn" effect, the hand virtually seals off the air exit. In normal playing it is just partial.]
Normal hand position
The modern instrument has a few variations, but the preferred model is the so-called Double Horn in F and Bb. Three valves control the pitch as in a trumpet, and a fourth thumb valve switches between the F and Bb divisions. This duality concerns only the player; the composer and conductor being aware only of "Horns in F" which is the only key used in modern scores, in spite of many other keys appearing in earlier music. Always write for horns in F, sounding a perfect fifth lower than written.
Valve levers on a double horn
The power of the Horn
If the hand came out of the horn and the bell faced forwards, the
instrument would be about as powerful as the other brass, but as things
are, the horn is not only quieter, but the rapid articulations possible
on a trumpet are not really viable, the instrument being a trifle
sluggish, and more than a trifle sluggish on its lowest notes. So
horns are seldom asked to play really quick passages, and long holding
notes are a stock-in-trade of the orchestrator.
In dynamic power the horn lies midway between the woodwind and brass, so can associate happily with either. It is capable of a gentle pp which can efface itself in any context, and also of a savage ff or even fff, though the latter will not be of the earth-shaking character of the heavy brass. For this reason, the orchestrator's rule of thumb is that above mf you need two horns in unison to equal one trumpet. As four horns are usually found, a good fanfare could be played in four-part harmony by giving trumpets the top two parts, and the two lowest parts with two horns per part. (Of course two trombones could have taken the lower parts with a better blend, but it all depends on what effect is wanted, or perhaps the whole thing is too high for trombones.)
Turning to the woodwind, with which the horns very often join in, by keeping their volume under control the horns can virtually be considered part of the group. For this reason the horns appear in the score just below the woodwind, above the trumpet staves, even though they are lower in pitch.
Tonal Blending
The really great asset of the horns is their blending power. They
blend with practically anything, though least with oboes as you might
expect. They can have a thickening effect doubling strings, clarinets
or bassoons. Clearly they are at home with the brass.
Because of their alto/tenor pitch range, horns often provide inner harmony suitable as a back-drop to counterpoint in the other groups. It is also surprising how well they can hold things together with just a single chord or interval whilst others move around them. In a nutshell, the horns are, or can be, the glue of the orchestra. (In the language of pop music, the pad.) It is difficult to imagine a situation where they would sound out of place. But note carefully that a single horn will stick out like a soloist: two or more horns blend in with other people much better. Read on.
Horns hunt in pairs
For a long time horns were always found in pairs, just like the woodwind.
With a few exceptions, two horns was the norm in the classical period
of Haydn and Mozart. Most of Beethoven's orchestral music uses two,
and four only became the norm in the latter part of the 19th century.
Even today four horns is the usual arrangement, though virtually any
number is theoretically possible. For historical reasons the four-horn
arrangement splits itself into two unexpected pairs: Horns 1 &
2 on one stave and Horns 3 & 4 on another. The unexpected thing
is this: that the 3rd horn is given a higher part than the 2nd. The
accepted pairing meant that 1st hornists specialised in the higher
range of the instrument, and 2nd hornists the lower. So when the other
pair (3 & 4) arrived, they too were a high and a low specialist,
dovetailing into the first pair. One more time: SATB harmony is Horns
1,3,2,4 pitchwise even though placed 1,2,3,4 in the score.
Four horns is normal
Muting
There are two ways to mute (or should I say further mute) the sound:
1) Hand stopping. The score instruction stopped, bouché, chiuso, or gestopft, (cancelled by open, ouvert, aperto, or offen) asks the player to ram his hand firmly into the bell, sealing it tightly. This creates a muffled sound. [It also causes the pitch to rise a semitone, but it is the player's business to transpose it back, so we needn't worry about this.] Can also be indicated by a cross + over the note, though this implies forcing the sound to make it distinctly brassy (cuivré).
2) Muting (con sord.). Horn mutes again give a quieter sound, though this is not identical to stopping, in spite of the way many composers and players ignore the difference.
2) Setting
up in GPO
GPO includes muted horns but not stopped horns. You can make an imitation
of the stopped effect by using the Fhorn ff Overlay but cutting
the overall volume down to about 2/3 normal. It's not right but it
will give something like the necessary contrast with the muted effect.
Incidentally the muted horns must be cut down also, perhaps to ½
normal. GPO has them too loud.
I have recorded GPO horns in the way just described, in a sample so you can compare these various sounds. You will hear a short phrase played softly, three times: a) open, b) "stopped", c) muted. This is then repeated loudly in the same order. You will notice that in the loud "stopped" tones we hear a brassy attack, typical of the cuivré effect required by the + and in any case hardly avoidable at forte level. I have created this effect by adding sharply decaying notes on muted trumpet; you will need to go to this trouble if you want something like the authentic brassed-up sound. And don't forget to reduce the volume of stopped and muted horns.
Remembering that Ens/Player instruments should avoid unisons with their parent sound, we could set up four horns in GPO thus:
1st Horn = French Horn 1 Solo
2nd Horn = French Horn 2 Solo
3rd Horn = French Horn 2 Ens/Plr1
4th Horn = French Horn 1 Ens/Plr1
Plus extra horn tracks if needed for muted and stopped, following the advice above.
3)
Writing for Horns
I'm assuming you are writing for actual performance. Even if you are
not, you want your recording to sound like a real orchestra, right?
So write only what is practical for live players.
Range
The range provided in GPO for all the horns is the theoretical range
of the horn, but few players would be able to cover all those notes
with any certainty. In any case, high and low hornists specialise
in the upper or lower part of the total range, and may even use different
mouthpieces to facilitate this. So it is best to envisage two different
ranges: one for horns 1 and 3, the other for horns 2 and 4. Even there,
players are not happy at the extreme ends of the range. Have a look
at this table, in which I suggest ranges which are safe and practicable:
Ex. 1 Ranges
The Full range is the complete gamut available in GPO. To be safe, stick to the High hornists' range for players 1 and 3, and to the Low hornists' range for players 2 and 4. If all four horns are to play in unison, then stick to the Tutti range or there could be some mistakes.
The 1st hornist can play the highest three notes Bb, B and C, but they are so close together embouchure-wise that it is all too easy to hit the wrong one if approaching by leap, so he would prefer to arrive at them with a scale passage, thus:
Ex. 2 From Beethoven's Eroica Symphony
Jean Sibelius makes it a little harder to hit the same top note here:
Ex. 3 From Karelia Suite
And, considering horns
2 and 4, the bottom notes of the horn (which "speak" more
slowly) can also be unsteady. The player needs a fraction of a second
to ensure that his note is right. Do not write fast passages low down
below C3 (sounding); long notes are safer. And mostly keep off very
low notes altogether; they never sound pretty, and should be used
only when you need a low sustained note which other instruments are
too busy to provide.
Articulation
As I mentioned earlier, horns are not suited to fast articulation.
If they must play a fast passage, it is better to split the melody
between two horns, especially if there are leaps:
Ex. 4 From one of my pieces
Notice the overlapping notes, a standard device in orchestration to secure continuity. Also, if you have the score of Britten's Young Person's Guide, see how the composer treats all four horns when they first enter the final fugue.
Breathing
All wind players must breathe, and hornists are no exception. However,
a lot depends on the volume level, also the amount of movement. A
single quiet note can be held for a surprisingly long time (say 6-8
bars of slowish tempo) but moving passages, especially if loud, require
breathing spaces more frequently. In the next example the composer
wanted to be sure his player would have plenty of breath to maintain
the power and continuity in this important solo:
Ex. 5 From Brahms' 1st Symphony
Of course, it isn't a true solo, but the careful overlapping makes
it sound like one. Notice how the 2nd horn must begin each note quietly,
so as to insinuate himself into the texture. Horns in C sound
an octave lower than written, by the way. Horns always transpose downwards.
Horn styles
In order of frequency, probably:
1) Sustained notes As mentioned above, holding chords, from 2-part to 4-part (or even more, if you fancy a large horn section). This is the commonest orchestral function for horns.2) Repeated notes Like the other brass, horns are well suited to repeated notes, so chords can well stand the idea of beating out a rhythm. Almost any note values will serve, but a useful formula is this:
Ex. 6
Known sometimes as the "anxious" rhythm, it imparts a nervous energy to the texture.
3) Melodies
A horn solo is one of the most beautiful sounds in the orchestra. It can sound romantic, sombre, cheerful, or majestic according to style. Remembering that one horn alone will tend to stick out anyway, you'd be best generally to use more than one horn if you don't want a solo effect.
Another way to play a melody is horns in octaves - this always sounds well. This could be a countermelody instead of the principal one. Obviously the range will be a little restricted.Finally, three or four horns could play in contrapuntal or semi-contrapuntal style.
4) Rests
Everybody should have a rest now and then, you know that. Just be careful that you don't get so addicted to that very useful "warm wad" of horn chords holding everything together that you forget the wearying effect on the listener. He may not know why it's wearisome, but could well feel it.
5) Tricks
Horns can play trills, glissandi, multiphonics, etc. If you are a trickster, look them up in the orchestration books. I do not recommend them for most people.
Functions in the score
1) Solos - Already mentioned. Keep your solo in the middle part of the range for preference, i.e. within the confines of the treble stave in the written part.
2) Leading group
- With a reasonably light accompaniment, the horn section can make
their mark even p or mf. See next example:
Ex. 7 Tchaikovsky, Nutcracker Suite
Note: when the harmony is only 3-part, you can either omit the
4th horn, as here in the first bar, or have the 3rd horn double the
1st in unison to strengthen the melody, with the 4th horn playing
the lowest part and the 2nd horn the middle. Tchaikovsky might well
have scored the passage as follows:
Ex. 8. A possible scoring
This sort of scoring is quite common. Compare it carefully with Ex. 7.
3) Background group - Already mentioned, this is a constant function of the horn group - two or more horns playing chords or long holding notes. I mentioned in my woodwind tutorial that Mozart, in The Marriage of Figaro, used only partial woodwind during most of the opera. He never neglected the horns, though, even though their gamut was severely restricted to the tonic chord plus a short scale C-G at the upper part of the stave (written notes). In the entire opera, Mozart omitted the horns in only three concerted items, and two of those were for strings only. In other words, horns were regarded as essential members of the woodwind group. Why? Because of their pleasant tone and warm blending qualities. They didn't play in every bar, of course, but played whenever a slightly thicker texture than minimum was required. You can do the same, with two, three, or four horns, used with discretion. With our modern valve-horns, you will be more ambitious than sticking to the tonic chord!
4) Part of the brass group - In passages for full brass, the horns can certainly join in. They will quite likely double existing notes, as it is better that the heavy brass complete all the notes of the chord, though the "two horns = one trumpet" formula can still work, allowing the horn parts to lie between the trumpets and trombones. Another way is to interleave the horns between the brass parts, e.g. Tr Tr Hn Tr Hn Trom Hn Trom Hn Trom Tba.
5) Doubling a melody - Either at unison or octave lower, horns will strengthen and give body to a melody on most other instruments. Hollywood scorers are particularly fond of horns an octave below the 1st violins in a powerful or romantic melody, taking the horns quite high sometimes for a strong emotional effect. Also, four horns, 1st and 2nd violins all in unison create a very powerful sound of great warmth.
6) Laying out the parts - I have made two things clear: first, that four horns is the normal number; second, that 3rd horn should be given a higher part than 2nd horn. Even with this set-up, there is no need to feel totally bound by these two principles. The number of horns playing at any one time must be dictated by the needs of the situation, so now we can start laying down a different set of rules:
a) The 2nd and 3rd horns can exchange pitch areas occasionally if that is more convenient, provided their normal ranges are respected;
b) Remembering that one horn alone will tend to feel like a soloist, if there is only one melodic strand available for the horns then have two horns in octaves, or all four taking the same octaves.
c) For 2-part harmony, use horns 1 & 2, with horns 3 & 4 taking over for a spell, maybe using note overlapping; OR 1 & 3 on top part, 2 & 4 on lower.
d) For 3-parts, either 1 3 2 or 1/3 2 4 as illustrated above.
e) Four parts is of course 1 3 2 4, but watch that 4th horn doesn't spend miserable minutes groping for low growling notes. Get him up on the stave. Chords of 7th or added 6th sound very good in close harmony.
7) More or less than
four horns - Odd numbers (3, 5, 7) are rare and we most likely
stick to the pairs system. So:
a) Two horns. If the orchestra is not very large, four horns could overweigh things. Many a good piece has been written with no more brass than two trumpets and two horns. (The four can make reasonable brass chords if interlocked Tr 1 Hn 1 Tr 2 Hn 2. Also Hn 1 Bsn 1 Hn 2 Bsn 2 can pass as four horns.)
b) You may quite often see five horns in an orchestra. The odds are that this is not the number specified by the composer, it is the common practice of providing a spare hornist (sitting on the right as you view them) to "bump up" the 1st horn player, i.e. taking over the easy or noisy bits so as to save his lip for the important solos. In other words, one or other of the two plays the first horn part by mutual arrangement.
c) Six horns. For a large orchestra. The extra two (one high and one low player, remember) can be considered as extra weight to be placed wherever necessary, or a doubling for three-part harmony, with two horns on each part. Or whatever.
d) Eight horns. Gosh, you are extravagant. Similar to six, but now you can double four parts. Mind, you will need plenty of heavy brass to balance, plus at least twelve woodwind, not to mention a good body of strings… Who's paying for all this?
e) The "a 2" problem You may be aware of the wavering/phasing effect when two instruments of the same type play in unison. This is also true of horns, but it seems to matter little, probably because this sort of thing would be covered up by plenty of other stuff going on. It was even an old tradition to double horn notes in unison where convenient, to give greater security. This should not be necessary today except in amateur orchestras. Unison doubling should be done because you feel the line needs the strength of two instruments.
4) Further study
a) Consult the standard orchestration books.
b) Study scores!
c) Study scores!
d) Study scores!
Enjoy! Even take up playing
the French Horn - you won't regret it.
Terry Dwyer
November 2004
Copyright © 2004. All rights reserved.