Does anyone know of any writings on Beethoven's choice to give the second horn the lead part in this movement while the first lays out for about 74 bars? It is not in any way similar to the 4th horn writing in the 9th symphony or 2nd horn solos in Fidelio or elsewhere since it clings to the high horn tessitura from beginning to end. In no way does it appear to be a late classical/pre-romantic second horn part. If it weren't Beethoven, I might just think that it was an attempt to give the principal player a rest, but he never showed any evidence of doing that anywhere in his writing for any instrument (or voice, for that matter). One other interesting touch in the second part; several exposed written F-sharps (horn in E), below the staff, in the Agnus Dei.
A very intense piece of music and he clearly was trying out a lot of adventurous ideas in it. I hope that someone can point me to some authoritative study on its orchestration. I just played (and quite enjoyed) second on a rough and tumble performance of this with meager forces and an even sparser audience and it would be nice to benefit from the common knowledge out there on this if there be any. Peter Hirsch _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
