Trivia
Famous horn works

Lv. Beethoven: Sonata for Horn and Piano

This sonata was written so that Beethoven could perform it with the famous horn player, Giovanni Punta, who was famous from Mozart's era all the way through Beethoven's. This may have been the first work created for horn and piano. Written for a famous performer, it contains many passages that sound like singing, and others that are terrifically fast paced, and it pushes the special characteristics of the horn to their limit. Of course, Beethoven did not go easy on himself, as the piano parts were equally convoluted.

R. Schumann: Adagio and Allegro for Horn and Piano in A flat

This piece was written in Schumann's later years, in 1849. Schumann wrote this piece for the newly developed valve horn that replaced the natural horn, and it can be said to be the first piece written for the valve horn. It is a typical Schumann piece. Dripping with romanticism, the piano part is intentionally bound with a horn freely manipulating semitone scales, which is what gives this piece its charm.

Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann

P. Hindemith: Sonata for Horn and Piano

Of the twentieth century German composers, Paul Hindemith is known as one of the more prolific, with many sonatas and concertos for various wind instruments. His works were an effort to reproduce the allure of older music in a form appropriate for the twentieth century, so-called neo-classicism, and his work called for horn players to play difficult passages with ease, while singing rolling melodies. This piece is a typical Hindemith work that shows his mastery of instrumentation. By the way, Hindemith also wrote a rare sonata for four horns.

Paul Hindemith

Paul Hindemith