Debbie wrote: Scott, Hans can speak for himself, .... and I certainly agree with your statement. But, I do not think Hans was saying that if the second horn could not play his part in the call in Beethoven 3 first horn would be blamed. I do think he was saying, that tutti parts are part of a whole and can hide such that the conductor will never say a word to them. On the other hand first horn is visible, very much so and the conductor would not think twice about pointing out their short comings .
Debbie, I agree that Hans can speak for himself (and I look forward to it almost as much as being "Cabbaged." It is like a rite of passage for this list ;) )! Thank you for your agreement. To tip my hand, my performance degree emphasis is in chamber music, so I may be way off-base, which is why I look forward to Hans's reply. It has been my experience, however, that the conductor does not let any member of the horn section hide and is more than willing to call anyone out "on the carpet" if they feel*. As a matter of fact, in the present economic climate with cost saving measures such as not hiring assistants, when I play section horn, we encourage the principal to lay out during the tutti parts or even to stagger with Horn 3. As for tutti (or section) horns being "texture," (or merely a part of the whole) my experience playing first (again, no where near the level you or Hans plays!) is that every note I play is not the lead line, but also must fit into the greater ensemble tex ture. In other words, if the line is important, I bring it out even if I'm playing Horn 6. If the line is subservient, I blend into the texture, even if I am principal or soloist. In a nut shell, everyone in the wind section is a soloist and everyone is tutti, depending on the musical context. I can even give examples from the standard rep where Horn 4 is more important than Trumpet 1 (Les Preludes, Beethoven 9 mov't 3)! Respectfully Submitted, Scott Young * I can think of two "conductors" that travel the US and Europe that even prefer to go after tutti players. _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
