Horn heroes
In order to play beautifully, you need to know what a beautiful French horn sound is like! You can learn that through listening to great players and trying to get the tone they do. Your teacher can help you with the physical aspects that need to be in place, but you've got to have that sound in your head so you can constantly work on it.
The horn is probably new to you, so I thought I'd share a few of the people who are world renowned players. Reading about them is fine, but you need to listen to and watch them play. That's the key! I am sure that at least one of these Horn Heroes will grab your attention and hopefully give you the inspiration you need.
The horn is probably new to you, so I thought I'd share a few of the people who are world renowned players. Reading about them is fine, but you need to listen to and watch them play. That's the key! I am sure that at least one of these Horn Heroes will grab your attention and hopefully give you the inspiration you need.
Dennis Brain (1921-1957)
Mr. Dennis Brain is considered to be the one who brought the horn into prominence as a featured instrument. In fact, a number of composers wrote pieces specifically with him in mind, including Paul Hindemith and Benjamin Britten. As an Englishman, he made many car trips travelling around the UK. It was during one of these trips that he was most unfortunately killed in a car crash at the young age of 36. Even today, he is still regarded as one of the great masters of the French horn. Listen to his beautiful rendition of Mozart's Horn Concerto #1. (Be patient, his part comes in about 45 seconds into the piece). Barry Tuckwell (1931-present) Australian Barry Tuckwell was 13 years old when he overheard a conversation between his sister and a horn player from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, who suggested Barry try the horn. He had already studied violin and piano, but the horn clicked, and two years later, at age 15, he became a member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra himself! After 3 years, he moved to London to study with Dennis Brain, and since then has been credited with making morn French recordings than any other player. Listen to his beautiful tones on the Mozart Horn Concerto and check out this video of him playing the Strauss Horn Concerto #1 in Japan. Vince DeRosa (1920-present)
“Vince DeRosa’s contribution to American music can’t be overstated. He was the premiere first horn player on virtually every recording to come out of Hollywood for over forty years." So says composer John Williams (ET, Star Wars, Indiana Jones). Mr. DeRosa begin playing as a child, while living in Chicago, but when his family moved to Los Angeles, he was able to study with Alfred Brain (uncle of Dennis Brain), who was the principal horn player with 20th Century Fox studios. Vince made his professional debut in the horn section at 20th Century Fox at the age of 17. He went on to play on tens of thousands of recordings, with the likes of legends Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, and the soundtracks for thousands of movies, including Rocky and ET. He was in the right place at the right time, but it was his sound that movie composers loved, and they began to write parts to feature the horn because of his tone. Listen to him as a soloist here, playing a theme from the movie, Cape Fear. Sarah Willis (1969-present)
Sarah is an American-born British woman, who holds dual citizenship in both America and England. She began taking horn lessons at 14, studied music in London, then moved to Berlin. She also holds the honor of being the first woman ever to play in the brass section of the acclaimed Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, which she joined in 2001 at the age of 32. Before joining the Berlin Philharmonic, she had performed with London Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestras. In addition to her position in the Symphony, she now has her own TV show in Germany, called Sarah's Place, and has appeared as a soloist all over the world. Here she is playing Waltzing Maltida with Australian horn players...She is playing the parts that sound like a tuba! Felix Klieser (1991-present) Felix was born in Germany with no arms, yet at the age of 4 decided to play French horn. What he has accomplished is miraculous, as he has been the featured soloist with a number of major orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, has toured with Grammy-winning artist, Sting, and has put out two solo CDs. However, his focus is not on playing with his foot, but rather on his tone and the emotion he puts into his playing. Please follow this link to hear Felix and to watch a short video on this amazing young man. Here is another link to a beautiful performance. Never underestimate what you can do! |