On 11/6/2010 8:14 PM, David H. Bailey wrote:
On 11/6/2010 2:26 PM, Steve Larsen wrote:
Ray Horton wrote:
I asked a knowledgeable horn-playing friend about your later question
(which
composers started writing for F horn all the time), and he promised me a
copy if an interesting article on Brahms horn writing, so I should
have more
to add. I'll just say that I have been told that, even though Brahms
wrote
parts that were playable on natural horn, he probably never heard tham
played on natural horn in his lifetime. He also wrote a book of etudes
for
valved horn!
The last sentence took me aback somewhat: I thought I've been through
every
single one of Brahms' opus numbers and WoO and posthumous works, and I
never
encountered a book of etudes for valved horn! And I can't find any
mention
in New Groves.
I think your friend may be mistaken about this. Can you ask for the
specifics about the etude book? Kalmus publishes Ten Studies for Horn,
supposedly by Brahms, but I can't find any reference to it in Brahms
literature (notice that there is no mention of "Ventilhorn" or "valved
horn"
in the title). Incidentally, the studies look to me like they are all
playable on natural horn, although the hand stopping would be
challenging.
Everything I've learned about Brahms makes me doubt that he ever devoted
time and energy to writing etudes for valved horn!
I have a book in my library of etudes purported to be written by Brahms,
to aid a horn player who played in a local pub. I'm not in my office at
the moment, but I'll try to find it tomorrow and post more information
about it. The edition is a European one, if I remember correctly.
I just found it in my library, with the following information:
Johannes Brahms 12 Etuden fur Trompette (Horn) with dynamic markings
and articulation by Max Zimolong, published by Musikverlag Hans
Sikorski, Hamburg, copyright 1973.
The preface is as follows:
*****
Two Hamburg musicians, the chamber virtuoso Wescke and the hron player
Hans Westermann -- who often used to play music with Brahms -- told me
the following about the origin of the etudes:
While playing in a pub with his father, a trumpet took part who had not
at all the technical perfection as Johannes on the piano. In order to
improve his embouchure and his velocity Brahms especially for him wrote
some etudes which he handed over to him with the remark, "Here I've
written something for you. Have a good practice for . . . you know what
I mean!"
All dynamic markings and articulations are to be meant as different
proposals for practise [sic] and have been added by the editor.
To avoid turns of page within the etudes, some pages were put into
another rank. Brahms applied the sequences: 1-4, 12, 6, 5, 7-11.
Hamburg, 1972
Max Zimolong, former solo horn player of the Berlin Philharmonic
Orchestra and the Dresden State Orchestra.
*****
--
David H. Bailey
dhbai...@davidbaileymusicstudio.com
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