Horn

The posthorn of the 19th-century Royal Post Office in the service of folk music

Once a tool of postal signalling, the posthorn became part of Bavaria’s popular musical life, caught between official regulation, practical invention and folk tradition.

By Albert Hiller

Engelbert Schmid

The magic touch

By Jean-Pierre Mathez

Part 1

Valencia: the natural horn

By Josep Antoni Alberola I Verdu

A modern corno da caccia

Bach’s highest horn parts expose a divide between historical sound and modern technique, prompting Friedbert Syhre and Ludwig Güttler to rethink the instrument itself.

By Werner Wolf

Vitaly Bujanowsky

The world's Golden Horn

Called one of the Soviet school’s finest performers by Shostakovich, Vitaliy Buyanovskiy shaped horn playing through performance, teaching and composition.

By Anatoly Barantsev

ARD Munich 1999

Horn Competition

By Brass Bulletin

Oscillatory Mechanism of the Glotis in Horn Playing

A horn note may begin before it is heard, as subtle vocal-fold oscillations appear to prepare the airflow that the lips will ultimately shape.

By Philippe-Henri Dejonker, Francis Orval, R. Miller, R. Sneppe

Part 2

My contacts with the United States

About horns and how to play them

Double horn, descant, natural horn — which path? This article explores American vs German approaches and what it means to train a complete horn player.

By Michael Höltzel

My new developed descant double horn

Why does the ideal horn not exist? Theo Westhof designs a new descant double horn to solve tuning and tone issues—without compromise.

By Theo Westhof

On hunting horns and other similar instruments

From Pierre Trichet’s Traité des Instruments de Musique (c. 1640)

Hunting horns, buccinae and cornets blur into one another as Trichet links ancient signals, shepherds, hunters and myth to the instruments of his own age.

By Pierre Trichet

The first european horn symposium

A week in Trossingen brought leading horn players, Mozart debates, natural-horn controversies and lasting friendships at a landmark European gathering.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Part 4

Zen and the Art of Horn playing

From meditation to distance running, horn playing becomes a way of quieting mental noise, linking breath, concentration, and daily life.

By Jeffrey Agrell

Part 4

Instrument Makers in USA

Lawson Horns

Walter Lawson built horns by testing alloys, valves and leadpipes with unusual precision, while keeping craftsmanship, musicians and acoustics closely connected.

By Stephan Suter

Investing in musical excellence - Hornclass international 2001

By Zdenek Divoky

The F/Bb horn with whole-tone ascending 3rd valve

A different horn, a different approach: Francis Orval explores how an ascending 3rd valve reshapes technique, intonation and response.

By Francis Orval