Klarinet Archive - Posting 000579.txt from 2001/08

From: Daniel Leeson <leeson0@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: James Sclater on horn pitches
Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 13:54:44 -0400

Jim Sclater is quite capable of handling this issue by himself. I
simply want to mention that the horn of Mozart's day could sound only
certain notes effectively (generally the tonic and fifth of that
particular horn's pitch, and to a lesser degree the third and octave).
Other notes were problematic requiring a complex technique of hand
manipulation in the bell of the instrument and doing weird things with
the mouth.

So as to be able to use horns in what ever key a work required, a piece
of the horns tubing could be detached and replaced by another of greater
or small length. This changed the fundamental length of the instrument
and, therefore, the basic pitches that could be produced. In this way,
it is not completely dissimilar to what clarinet players had to do,
except that they changed the whole instrument.

Thus a hornist would be told, "Change to horn in A" meaning not that
another instrument was requested (though that could be done, of course)
but that a "A crook" or a piece of the right length to put the horn in
the key A was to be inserted in place of the one already installed.

Thus, as Ed Lacy, a hornist would show up with his instrument and the
theoretically 10 crooks needed to place the horn in the variety of
needed pitches.

If I remember correctly, there was even a clarinet in which you
substituted one joint for one of a greater length to change the pitch of
the instrument, but it was never successful.

Today, hornists to not change crooks (except in original instrument
orchestras), they transpose, an act aided by the design of French horns.

Tim Roberts wrote:
>
> James Sclater wrote:
> >
> >I'm wondering if Mr. Leeson considers this matter equally serious in the
> >case of horn players who do not use horns pitched in G or A, or E, or D,
> >etc., but transpose everything on the F/Bb instrument.
>
> I, for one, would very much like Mr. Sclater to expand on this a bit. My
> knowledge of brass instruments falls woefully short, and I would appreciate the
> benefit of his experience.
>
> By "horn", do you actually mean the instrument commonly known as "french horn",
> or are you including the entire brass family? Is there, in fact, a body of
> classic literature that actually calls for horns pitched in something other
> than F or Bb? I know there are tubas in Eb and trumpets in C, but beyond
> those, can you actually buy french horns in keys other than F?
>
> --
> - Tim Roberts, timr@-----.com
> Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.
>
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--
***************************
** Dan Leeson **
** leeson0@-----.net **
***************************

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