Introducing the Baroque Horn
Wed 3 May 2017
‘It’s quite a direct, unfiltered sound.’
OAE Principal Horn Roger Montgomery takes us through the Baroque Horn and shows us how it differs from the modern instrument.
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The forest, Weber, horns and that ‘sort of ghostly sound’
Fri 27 May 2016
‘When we play it, it invokes the horns of the forest. Which is where we all come from, ancestrally, as horn players.’
As the OAE horn section rehearse, Martin Lawrence talks about the forest, Weber, horns and that ‘sort of ghostly sound’.
Read MoreHorn
Today’s horn, what is often known as the French horn, is a descendant of the natural horn, which in turn is a descendant of the hunting horn. Small and circular in shape, the hunting horn was easy to carry and convenient to play whilst sat atop a moving horse. Although the basic shape is still the same, the horn has undergone many developments which have made it a more versatile and manageable instrument. The natural horn is a complex instrument which although confined to the back seat of the stage, is one of the often unsung heroes of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Read MoreCrooks, Valves and the 'God of Horns'
Thu 13 Jan 2011
Next week at our Symphonic Enlightenment concert at the Royal Festival Hall, the horns of the OAE take centre stage. Martin Lawrence, from our Horn Section, here explains the difference between Natural and Valve horns, talks about how they are used in the music of Liszt and Wagner and how Mahler wants the best of both worlds…
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