Hey Scott, I do like that you said the 4th provides the foundation for the quartet! I have been saying that for years but no one wants to believe us :)
Why the whole section would "fall apart" if it wasn't for us "good old" 4th horn pickers. :) Milton Milton Kicklighter 4th Horn Buffalo Philharmonic Retired ________________________________ From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, February 28, 2011 3:42:49 PM Subject: Re: [Hornlist] Orchestra: second or third horn? I have read the preceding arguments with some interest. I have played principal, second, and fourth horn professionally (occasionally subbing on third, plus an extra like 5th, 7th or even Wagner tuba) in orchestras and played horn 1-4 in professional bands. If this were a band, I would probably recommend third, but for orchestra, things are more complicated. One thing, however, that should not sway your decision is the prevalence of solos. In an orchestra, all of the horn parts are solo parts and require solo capable players (in other words, in a modern orchestra everyone must be able to play everything in the entire range of the instrument). As I have written before, the literature has many solos for all horn parts. Using second horn as an example, look through the Beethoven symphonies, remember that the Rite of Spring starts with solo bassoon and second horn, Ein Heldenleben's opening horn solo is restated by the second hornist 16 measures later, down a minor third! Here is the way that most of the hornists in orchestras that I have played in view the standard horn section: Principal (also sometimes called Solo horn): Provides style, intonation and section leadership. Second horn: Shares brain stem with Principal. If the principal provides the style, the second horn either makes or breaks it (another way of saying this is: The principal provides the style; the second horn sets the style). Playing second is a lot like playing catch* with the principal horn. Third horn: Either is a second principal horn (if the music is paired with horns 1&2 in one key and 3&4 in another), assistant to the principal (many times the principal will lay out if the third doubles first), or provides the loudness in loud high playing. Of course, sometimes the third player is just the third player (Richard Deane wrote a great article for The Horn Call about this). Fourth horn: Either shares brain stem with the 3rd horn or provides the foundation of the quartet sound. I am aware that some people may find this controversial. This is, however, what works in the region that I live and play in. As an additional disclaimer, I won the fourth horn in the orchestra I play in. When the second horn position opened up, I auditioned and won the second position (which I currently hold). When the third horn position opened up, I did not audition, even though it may have increased my chance to sub as principal for one simple reason: We play more stuff for only two horns then there are opportunities to sub as principal. In other words, the pay (and play!) is better. Respectfully Submitted, Scott Young * "Catch" is an American game of tossing a (base)ball back and forth. _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/kicklighgter%40yahoo.com _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
