Hi Larry I suspect we are far closer in opinion than you might think. It seems that your key point is this:
"I want to submit a minority opinion, that amateur horn sections thrive when there is a good section leader, the principal, who doesn't necessarily need to be the best player in the section, but he needs to be competent relative to the performance level of the ensemble. Whenever the horn principal is significantly below the competence level of the ensemble, the section does not thrive, has frequent turnover, and often has vacant positions." I think this is pretty consistent with my point when I said "The issue is not whether the first horn is better than me, but whether he is good enough to make a decent fist of being principal." So we're in agreement that the first horn doesn't necessarily need to be the best, but that he has to be sufficiently up to the mark that he isn't bringing down the ensemble. I agree that when the first horn is not of that standard, the good of the ensemble requires that something be done about it. My own approach is to start by seeing whether something can be done to improve the first horn's playing. In a suprising number of cases, there is some simple technical fault (e.g. some embouchure or breathing problem) which can relatively easily be fixed as the player has just got into a bad habit. So I gain the first horn's confidence and then try and make some suggestions. If that doesn't work, the first horn will sometimes then recognise that he is better moving down. If so, then bad feeling is avoided. If the first horn doesn't improve and won't budge, then something else has to be tried. Of vital importance though is that it is not done by those who would appear most directly to benefit - i.e. the other horns, and especially whoever would be the new first horn. For them to get involved will result in bad feeling. In these circumstances, the best approach is for the conductor to have a quiet word with the first horn. If you feel that you need to, you can have a word with the conductor to raise your concens. My experience is that if the conductor is competent he doesn't need to be told, and if he's not competent, telling him will do no good and will not result in action. So you are better not wasting your breath. Valerie's position however is not of this kind. She has just had the bad timing to join a group just after another player who is in occupation by seniority and is good enough to play first horn. If I were the conductor in Valerie's group, I would have no hesitation in making my position entirely clear on this - that the agitation must stop because it is causing bad feeling in the section, that I've done all that is reasonable by arranging for some rotation of parts, that the first horn is not under any circumstance going to be asked to re-audition for his own position, and that if Valerie isn't prepared to accept this, then for the good of the ensemble it would be better if she were to leave find some other group to join. Regards Jonathan West _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
