 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ashley
Date: 2001-04-19 02:59
I've wondered about this for quite some time... why, in woodwind quartets and quintets, is there always a french horn? I tried for hours to figure this out the day we hosted solo/ensemble contest, when i saw a woodwind quartet with a french horn in it. i'm absolutely baffled... i just dont know.....
~ashley~
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Author: Kontragirl
Date: 2001-04-19 03:26
Good question. I've never seen a woodwind quintet with out a french horn. I think they belong there, they add a beautiful color to the sound. In any case I'd like to know who said, 'Hmm...we should put a french horn here."
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Author: Eoin McAuley
Date: 2001-04-19 06:59
I've heard statements such as "the French Horn lies midway between the woodwinds and the brass, because of the wonderful agility of its playing". This doesn't make much sense if you want to be pedantic about it, as the French horn is entireley a brass instrument (lip action, no reed). But it does indicate why composers would use it. It is agile enough to be able to play along with the woodwind instruments and provides a firm bass line. The bassoon which is the normal bass woodwind does not provide a loud enough bass line.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-04-19 11:31
Quite simple really. The guy that wrote the first "woodwind quintet" thought the French horn would blend well and sound good in the ensemble so he included it. So ever since, the definition of woodwind quintet includes the French horn. Unfortunately I can't remember the source that I read this in.
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Author: Mike Irish
Date: 2001-04-19 11:44
I dont know about others....
we didnt have a french horn in ours....
in the quartets would be Bb and alto( some times bass if the music was avail )
and in the quintets, pretty much the same.....
our horn players were too buzy with the brass ensambles to pay any mind to the woodwinds....
Mike
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Author: 'nifer
Date: 2001-04-19 12:27
Hi! My woodwind quintet has a flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon. The horn often has supporting lines and also has wonderful melodies which can seem to come out of nowhere.. I agree that i think it is because of the sound of the horn, and because it supports greatly.. oftentimes the horn adds a voice in the middle of the bassoon and the melody when the flute, oboe, and clarinet are passing around the melody!
'nifer
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Author: sarah
Date: 2001-04-19 21:22
I would love a french horn in the quintet im in but around us the horn players all play tenor (E flat) horn, neither use nor ornament! so instead we have 2 flutes, oboe, clarinet and as there are no bassoons a bass clarinet. This means our leader spends alot of time transposing parts. I think french horns have such a beautiul sound which blends beautifully with winds, even more than with brass. Oh well. I agree it is a very strange idea originally tho.
Sarah
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Author: Keil
Date: 2001-04-20 04:02
Well, my question that goes hand in hand with this one is why don't they just call it a Wind Quintet versus a Woodwind quintet seeing as how technically all 5 instruments are Wind instruments but NOT all 5 are woodwinds, it would be, dare i say more "politically correct" to call it a Wind Quintet... hehe :-)
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-04-20 10:33
Keil wrote:
>
> Well, my question that goes hand in hand with this one is
> why don't they just call it a Wind Quintet versus a Woodwind
> quintet seeing as how technically all 5 instruments are Wind
> instruments but NOT all 5 are woodwinds, it would be, dare i
> say more "politically correct" to call it a Wind Quintet...
> hehe :-)
Because the person that wrote the first one called it a Woodwind Quintet.
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Author: beejay
Date: 2001-04-20 12:42
The wind quintet arises out of the bands in the aristocratic houses in Europe in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Many of the rich families would have a professional group of wind players to play for ordinary occasions and augment them with strings and cembalo for special occasions. The Duke of Meiningen used to insist that all his civil servants could sight-read and play the violin so that they could reinforce his wind band when needed. With romanticism, the strings and the high-powerd pianoforte took over in the 19th century, but the old wind band lineup remains at the heart of every modern symphony orchestra. Why the horn? Probably, because like the other instruments in a classic wind quintet, it was much favored by the aristocracy and the high bourgeoisie since it was used in hunting -- whereas other instruments such as the trombone (much used in religious ceremonies) and trumpet (a military band instrument) had more limited applications in high society. A host of composers, such as Danzi or Hoffmeister, wrote for the wind quintet. I recently saw a wonderful production of Rossini's Cenerentola in Paris played by a wind nonette and a strong quintet, and very effective and beautiful it was, too.
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Author: Cass
Date: 2001-04-20 13:02
I love the sound a French horn makes but while we are talking about manufacturing standards, there is some room for improvement! The sound is beautiful but it is usually out of tune. It drives me crazy to listen to French horns. It can't all be the players's fault when it seems *most* of them are out of tune, much worse than other instruments.
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Author: Kai
Date: 2001-04-20 18:50
Well, I 'd rather call it a Wind Quintet than a Woodwind quintet.
It's an arrangement that has prompted much beautiful compsititions for this instrumentation .
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Author: joseph o'kelly
Date: 2001-04-20 22:48
An instrument is considered a woodwind if it has keys (this is why a saxophone is considered a woodwind.)
Getting back to the main question, I have no idea.
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