>Thanks for your comments --- they educated me on a lot of fine points >that I wasn't sure of (being an oboist and not a brass player ...) >Just one small comment: >> >> This is an oversimplification. If it is transposed it is transposed. If a >> piece is in Eb and the trumpet/horn parts are for Eb trumpets/horns then >> they won't see a key signature because they are in C. >> >Agreed, but life is more complicated. Look, e.g., at Brahms 1st >symphony, in c minor: the first 2 horns are in C, the other two in >e minor > (and Brahms MEANT them to be played on DIFFERENT instruments, not 4 > identical horns transposed differently! Orchestras bent on authentic > realisations spent a lot of money buying the extra instruments > necessary, and, wow: listen to the difference it makes!) >, but nevertheless all 4 are denoted WITHOUT any key signature!
I don't have ready access to the score or parts so I'll take your word for it on the details given above regarding the notation of the horn parts to Brahms 1. I rather suspect that the instruments in different keys were used in order to provide Herr Brahms with enough pitches to satisfy his needs for the piece. As for the use of "different instruments, not 4 identical horns...", sure. They were horns with the appropriate crooks inserted to set them in the indicated keys. Valveless horns were supplied with a large variety of crooks for the different "keys"/"transpositions" etc. Cheers, David Bobroff _______________________________________________ TeX-music mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://sunsite.dk/mailman/listinfo/tex-music
