These are just the books that are out there on the Horn. There are, of course, many great articles around in The Horn Call (The Journal of the International Horn Society), The Instrumentalist, and The Historic Brass Society journal. Also of great interest to all Horn players should be John Ericson's site, Horn Articles Online. Dr. Ericson has a collection of over sixty articles on the Horn posted on the site and it should definitely be a stop for anyone doing research on the Horn.
The French Horn
By: Reginald Morley-Pegge
Pub: W. W. Norton 1973 et al.
Currently out-of-print
In my opinion this is the best book on the Horn. Period. It was originally part of the “Instruments of the Orchestra” series. It has history, mechanics, acoustics, and playing information as well as several pages of plates and a very handy appendix that shows all of the harmonic series of all the different horns as well as the length of each horn and how the individual series relate to the various types of instruments available today. It is unfortunately out-of-print, but it can still occasionally be found at libraries, especially at universities, and periodically comes up for sale on the internet. If you are lucky enough to win one at auction, expect to pay over $100 for your copy. I am trying to convince Dover Publications that there is sufficient interest in this book to warrant them buying the rights and re-publishing it. If you are interested in making this happen, follow the Dover link and get on their mailing list (“Join the Family”. You can get free catalogs too. They have over 600 music titles!). You can then go to their customer service page and suggest books for them to publish.
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The Horn
By: Robin Gregory
Pub: Faber & Faber 1969
Currently out-of-print
Next to the Morley-Pegge book, this is the best around. It deals more with the modern Horn and its history and development. It has an extensive repertoire list in the back of the book (It actually takes up about half of the book) that breaks it down by instrumentation. There are also several pages of plates with some pretty interesting instruments. It is also unfortunately out-of-print. Expect the cost at auction to be comparable with the Morley-Pegge.
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The Horn
By: Kurt Janetzky and Bernhard Bruechle
Pub: Amadeus Press 1988 (English Translation, German edition 1977)
ISBN 0931340144
Currently out-of-print
This is another excellent book written by two well respected experts. There are numerous pictures and illustrations and an overview of the Horn’s history from the Conch shell to the modern day. There is a specific section on the Strausses (Franz and Richard) and a very good history of the invention of the valve. Regrettably, this is also out of print. Check your local university library.
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Horn
By: Barry Tuckwell
Pub: Kahn & Averill Publishers 2003 (Also available through the Horn Society)
ISBN: 1871082420
$18.95 ($10.00 through the IHS), 224 pages
This was part of the Yehudi Menuhin Music Guides series and was out of print for quite some time. The IHS began offering it a few years back and now the whole series has been re-published by Kahn & Averill. This should be a part of every Horn player’s library. It has an excellent history of the instrument and very detailed illustrations.
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The French Horn
By: Jeremy Montagu
Pub: Shire 2001
ISBN: 0747800863
$7.25, 32 pages
This is a tiny little thing that, for a time, was going for quite a bit at online auctions despite the fact that it is still in print. It is a Shire Album. Shire has published these little guides on everything from sewing machines to coin collecting. It gives a brief overview of the history of the instrument and has numerous photographs and illustrations. It is accurate for sure, but the price tag is a little steep for 32 pages.
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The Art of French Horn Playing
By: Philip Farkas
Pub: Warner 1995
ISBN: 0874870216
$14.95, 95 pages
This is the Bible of the Horn playing world. If there is a Horn player who doesn’t own a copy of this book, they… well, they really should get one. Phil Farkas was, of course, principal Horn in Chicago during the Reiner era and before and was the teacher at Indiana University for many years. He was the teaching guru for generations of players and all of his knowledge is written down right here. It is available at your finer music stores or it can be ordered through any bookstore.
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The Horn Handbook
By: Verne Reynolds
Pub: Hal Leonard 1997
ISBN: 1574670166
$33.95, 250 pages
This is the best book to come out recently on the Horn. Reynolds was the professor at the Eastman School until recently and has also composed and arranged a very large amount of music for the Horn and its associated ensembles, notably his 48 etudes. He gives very practical advice on playing and developing as a musician. He also lays out his personal philosophy of being a Horn player in very straightforward, no-nonsense, language. This book should also be one to grace every Hornist’s bookshelf.
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French Horn Discography
By: Michael Hernon
Pub: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. 1986
ISBN: 0313254346
$57.50, 306 pages
This is a one-volume convenient reference to recordings for the Horn. Entries are organized by type of instrumental combination, composer, and artist. It is, however, almost 20 years old, so it is a bit out of date.
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Horn Technique
By: Gunther Schuller
Pub: Oxford University Press 1991
ISBN: 0198162774
$26.95, 160 pages
Gunther Schuller is a much respected Horn player, conductor, and composer and this is his addition to the Horn player’s library. Originally published in 1962, it is part of a series that includes technique books for several other instruments. It covers the topics of the instrument and its mouthpiece, tone production, warming up, articulation, and notes on playing and practicing. There is also a section aimed at composers for the instrument and a repertoire list. The book is well presented, but the price is a little high for its diminutive size.
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Horn and Conductor
By: Harold Meek
Pub: Boydell & Brewer, Ltd. 1997
ISBN: 1878822837
$22.95, 115 pages
The subtitle of this book is “Reminiscences of a Practitioner with a Few Words of Advice”. In it, the author gives just that. The late Harold Meek was the principal Horn of the Boston Symphony, among others. Sadly, his book is almost unknown to most Horn players. It is a real gem of a book, though. He shares anecdotes about playing under the baton of several of the world’s greatest conductors, among them, Reiner, Klemperer, Munch, and, of course, Koussevitzky. He also includes his advice on the interpretation of over three dozen challenging Horn excerpts. There is a very brief history of the Horn, which is basically a regurgitation of all that is already well known, and really could have been left out entirely, but overall the book was a very enjoyable, and very quick, read. The price is high for such a small book, but that is to be expected for a book with such a limited audience.
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The Early Horn
By: John Humphries
Pub: Cambridge University Press 2000
ISBN: 0521635594
$22.00, 148 pages
This book covers the period from the mid 17th century and the Horn’s introduction to the Orchestra up to the turn of the 20th and the advent of the double Horn. The author, John Humphries, is well known for his editions of music, his reconstructions of the incomplete Horn works of Mozart, and his large output of liner notes for various CD’s. This book is part of a series put out by Cambridge to offer practical guides to performing music in a historically accurate way and on period instruments. The author covers all regional practices and variations in instruments and the events that took place that led to these variations. He also calls attention to various Methods and books on the Horn, both well-known and slightly obscure, and offers case studies on well known pieces. There are numerous footnotes and an extensive bibliography. Like many books from Cambridge, the price per page is somewhat high.
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Collected Thoughts on Teaching and Learning, Creativity and Horn Performance
By: Douglas Hill
Pub: Warner Brothers Publications 2001
ISBN: 075790159x
$29.95, 208 pages
Douglas Hill is another of those teacher/performer/composers who has indelibly left his mark on the Horn-playing world. This book is a collection of his thoughts on pedagogy, performance, and becoming a more well-rounded musician. It is laid out very much like the Farkas book and is aimed at teaching proper technique and ideology to students from the beginning. It is rather more substantial than the Farkas book and the price is quite reasonable for its size.
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The Horn and Horn Playing and the Austro-Bohemian Tradition from 1680 to 1830
By: Horace Fitzpatrick
Pub:
Currently Out-of-Print
This is a history of the Horn's introduction to Bohemia around 1680 by Count Franz Anton von Spork and the tradition of playing that resulted. The author did extensive and meticulous research on orchestra members, composers and their compositions, instruments and their makers, and teachers. He sifted through programs, payrolls, and inventories to find most of the information in the book. He also did several case studies on important pieces and there is a small 33 RPM record included with the author playing those pieces on instruments from various collections. It has a list of players of the day, where they played and for how long, with whom they studied, and who they taught. This is a very thorough book, although, at times, the author seemed to be jumping to conclusions based on very little evidence, probably because very little evidence exists. The book is rather rare and doesn't come up for sale very often.
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The French Horn
By: Birchard Coar
Pub: Birchard Coar 1947
Currently Out-of-Print, 99 pages
When this book was published in 1947, it was the foremost publication, if not the only one solely, on the Horn. It laid the groundwork for future authors’ works, which would eventually prove this one to be somewhat erroneous. However, given the limited resources of the day, the book is quite complete. Dr. Coar’s approach to his research views the history and development of the instrument with relation to the pieces that were written for it. There is an extensive bibliography that includes many sources that are often overlooked in research today. The book consists of the author’s typed manuscript, lithographed and bound. It is exceedingly rare but can be found at used book sites occasionally. Expect to pay around $150 to $300 for a copy. The author also has another book, A Critical Study of the 19th Century Horn Virtuosi in France, of which I have not been able to obtain a copy. If anyone has a copy and would like to submit a review of the book, please feel free to contact me.
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A Critical Study of the Nineteenth Century Horn Virtuosi in France
By: Birchard Coar
Pub: Birchard Coar 19??
Currently Out-of-Print, 168 pages
Special thanks to John Humphries for the review
Like his other book, it is typed and looks very much like a straight reprint of his PhD thesis. It covers the period 1760-1900 with interesting sections on each of the major players with quotations from their tutors, rare portraits and extracts from their works. It includes English translations of biographies of many players, taken from sources such as Fetis and Pierre and a complete list of Paris Conservatoire Prizewinners from 1797-1900.
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Thoughts on Playing the Horn Well
By: Froydis Ree Wekre
Pub:
ISBN: 8299324408
66 pages
This book came out I think in 1995 or sometime around then. It contains all of Froydis' thoughts on every aspect of playing and how to improve that particular area. There is a plethora of exercises to that effect and it is by no means short on good advice. It is not available through bookstores, but I would check with McCoy's Horn Library for a copy. They publish Froydis' collection of Prunes and many other fine compositions and arrangements for Horn.
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Practical Guide to French Horn Playing
By: Milan Yancich
Pub: 1970
This book is mostly exercises with a bit of advice before each section. It has gone through several printings but it may be out-of-print now. The author played in the Rochester Philharmonic for many years and has also written An Orchestra Musician's Odyssey: A View from the Rear. I have not gotten around to buying that book yet, so if anyone has one and would like to review it, please feel free to contact me.
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Complete Method fur der Waldhorn oder der Ventilhorn
By: Eric von Schmutzig
This is a hilarious joke method book that was put out several years back. There are all sorts of etudes that would really stretch out those muscles as well as several ads for such things as the Schmutzig Nine-valve Horn and Schmutzig's own Electric Valve Oil ("I oiled my valves with it and have had no valves to worry about since!"). It has now been reprinted in a smaller format and is available at the various workshops. Pick up a copy. You won't regret it.
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A Discography of 78 RPM Recordings of the Horn:
Solo and Chamber Literature with Commentary
Compiled by: Amy McBeth
Pub: Greenwood,1997
ISBN: 0313304440
Price: $72.95, 210 pages
This is a comprehensive listing of the early recordings of the Horn. It is organized by the instrumentation of the work and lists the composer, piece, performer, label, year recorded, and notes on each recording, such as where the recording was made or reviews of the recording. The book covers works for solo Horn up to ensembles of fifteen, including a section for recordings of Hunting Horn music.
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Method for Cor Alto and Cor Basse (Paris, 1824)
By: Louis-Francois Dauprat (1781-1868)
Pub: Birdalone
(Their text used with permission)
ISBN: 0929309022
Price: $172.50, 500 pages
The first
complete English translation of this very influential method book by the most
highly-esteemed Professor of Horn at the Paris Conservatoire in the nineteenth
century is still available in a limited edition of 1000 numbered copies. Printed
in its original size (10 1/4" x 13 1/4") on acid-free paper, with all musical
examples, etudes, and a fold-out chart reproduced in facsimile. A new
Introduction and Index have been written for this Edition, which is 500 pages
long, in a specially designed, sturdy yet elegant binding of dark blue Japanese
cloth.
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A Modern Valve Horn Player's Guide to the Natural Horn
By: Paul Austin
Pub: Birdalone (Their text used with permission)
Price: $28.75
A systematic approach to studying the natural horn tailored to the modern
player. Dr. Austin has compiled basic information and practical advice as well
as historical perspective on cadenzas and ornamentation, with many musical
examples. Includes listings of repertoire and recommended readings.
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Living Dangerously with the Horn:
Thoughts on Life and Art
By: David M. Kaslow
Pub: Birdalone (Their text used with permission)
ISBN: 092930049
Price: $12.00, 164 pages
A thorough introduction to the psychological, technical, emotional, physical,
and spiritual foundations of music-making. University of Denver Professor Kaslow
examines the general dynamics of fear, courage, awareness, and life itself from
several new, refreshing perspectives.
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With Aspirations High:
Discussions and Exercises for Musicians
By: David M. Kaslow
Pub: Birdalone (Their text used with permission)
ISBN: 0929309057
Price: $25.00, 104 pages
A companion volume for his earlier book, "Living Dangerously with the Horn", this one includes eight original exercises by composer Normand Lockwood, additional musical examples, and a glossary.
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