Ok Hans, I know I will get jumped on for saying this, but I have always heard that: The job of the 2nd horn is to make the 1st horn sound good. :)
Milton Milton Kicklighter 4th Horn Buffalo Philharmonic Retired ________________________________ From: Hans Pizka <[email protected]> To: The Horn List <[email protected]> Sent: Fri, August 13, 2010 12:46:47 AM Subject: Re: [Hornlist] fitting in as part of getting a job Hello Scott, I did not question the quality of a 2nd, 3rd or 4rth player nor did I talk about the conductor. I talked about the general acceptance & view of the audience: "Did you notice the mistake of the horn ?" .... "the horn". They never say 2nd or 3rd or 4rth. It is that way. And, Scott, let us talk realistic: you mentioned higher parts for 3rd horn, well, Mendelssohn, Rossini & Donizetti - but what is so special with them ? These solos are nothing more than simple calls or simple accompaniments, which were just normal stuff when written, as players just used horns pitched that way. you mentioned very low parts in the lower horns - but what is so special with them ? The first horn has to play down to written c (below 4 ledger lines) and in E-flat (Rheingold, Goetterdaemmerung, Heldenleben, etc.etc.). you mentioned Copland requiring the 2nd horn climbing up like the first horn - what is so special with that. That is part of daily work. It seems, you & others have not understood this difference between Solo & tutti: a solo player has to be responsible for the whole section; a solo player does not have a solo in all pieces, but plenty solo spots & plenty longer very exposed solo spots (did you ever play Benj.Brittens opera "Billy Budd" ??). A solo horn has to play much more notes in a given piece than anyone in the section definitely. Accepted, Mozart & Haydn have the horns as pairs, mostly. But the soli, the real soli, are in the first horn. The soli for the second are like Kopprasch (Oxford, Cosi fan tutte). It is the amount of soli, which counts for the first horn. And again, it is much easier to fill a section vacancy than a solo vacancy, be it permanent or occasionally. The demand upon the embouchure of a first horn is enough from the full time job plus subbing occasionally, so they often do not accept offered extra jobs. I talk about the physical & mental demand. But good section players (often hindered soloists !!!! as they say !) can accept more of these tasks without risking something. A first horn cannot sit in the studio the whole morning & afternoon, if Heldenleben or full Rosenkavalier are on the program at night, second horns can do it. May-be, the situation in your country is different, as the firsts use an assistant, while we do not use an assistant, with exceptions (I used an assistant in my last years, when we were on tour & had Heldenleben in the one program & Bruckner no.8 in the other, plus other stuff: Chopin piano concerto, Don Juan & Four last Songs). But I confess, we solo horns never come together with the view of the tutti player, but we do not look down upon them never. In contrary, we are very happy if we get the right support by them, if they follow our interpretative intentions, if they "take over our coat of tone colors", if they just imitate our phrasings & expression. Peace, Scott ! _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/kicklighgter%40yahoo.com _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
