When I started to study and get to know what was the role and use of the horn in the late orchestral works of Schumann, one of the first pieces that I was examining was the 4th Symphony. Nowadays, we know it as his 4th, but actually it is the second. The original version of the piece was finished in 1841, when he used only natural horns, and the second version, from 1851, is the one which involves both instruments. Of course, not everything is comparable, since he did change some bars or phrases as well, not only the horn parts, but we can notice a couple of changes in the use of the instrument.
The most prominent is which instrument was used in which movement. In the original version, the first pair of horns played in all the movements and did the change from the F-crook to D-crook, then to the A-crook for the last movement, while the second pair of horns play only on the D-crook, and do not play in the two middle movements. In contrast to this, in the revised version, the Ventilhorns have tacet in the Romanza and they play only at a few places in the Scherzo, where the natural horns can’t play audible. Why did he do so? We can see that he did not really ask the valve horn players to change their main tuning of the pieces, and as I see, he also prefers the natural horn in the music which is softer, and more intimate, because its sound fits better in this type of music. He recognised that the valves and those tuning slides increase the weight of the body of the horn which causes a heavier, and stronger sound, thus he let the natural horns play at the spots where its sound is closer to the musical texture.
The last example from this work can be also found in the last movement, and this shows the relationship of the two different horns again, and the way how Schumann preserved stopped notes, but still let every note audible. Firstly, he just split the passage between the horns, first the D horns, then the A horns. This is already interesting why he did so, since the A horn part is playable on the D horn, and it is not necessary to use another crook to make the notes audible. In this case, the second way of writing gives us the answer. This is in 4/4 which shows us that the first beats of the melody would be always a stopped note on the D-crook, while they are open notes on the A-crook, and for this side it is not a big problem to play the F’ and F#’, because they sound more harsher than on the lower crooks. In order to have the same raw, and a bit aggressive colour, the composer used all the horns in the entire section in the second version. The valve horns are playing it completely open, while the natural horns are stopping, but it is not disturbing that the half of the bar is muted, because the open horns make the balance.
One important change in the use and role of the horn in this piece and in Schumann’s works is the connection between the horns and trombones. Because the trombone was the only chromatic brass instrument for a long time, in many ‘fanfare’ or ‘chorale’ excerpts, it was the only brass instrument with real melody, therefore the other brass instruments whether do not have any role, or they supported the melody with the tonic or diminant. The trumpet had hardly any note except the dominant and tonic, but the horns had also very restricted possibilities too. If we compare the Langsam part before the fourth movement, we can see that in the original version, the A horns have a completely different role, than in the revised one. In the first, thy just give the extra, bright and positive colour to the trombone’s melody, which comes from the distance, and though it sounds as something hopefully is coming, the shiny sound of the high A horns which also prepares the trumpets’ entrance, which the highest point of the section, before the transformation to the last fast movement starts. In the new variant, the A horns become Ventilhörner in F what makes possible for them to support the trombones through the whole passage, even at Figure T where the melody has to be lowered by one octave originally, otherwise it would be high for the first trombone, the horns take it over and continues the uprising theme, while the trombones play the same as in the other version.
We can also experience the same at 11 bars before the repeat in the new adaptation. For the first time, the high horns do not play at all, they just join at the very end of the part, in order to take over the rising scale from the D horns. For the second time, they play the same what the second trombone and give support to that voice, while the upper voice which was played by the first trombone and the D horns is still played by the first trombone, but not the Waldhorns are the only supporters, because they do not play all the notes, and the trumpets join earlier to help the growth.
Another proof that the gestopfte notes were important for Schumann too if it could better emphasise the music. At the beginning of the Requiem für Mignon op.98b, the choir sings:
‘First, the youth in our group will be welcomed! With sorrow welcome, with sorrow welcome!’
Before the first with sorrow welcome, everyone stops on an F dominant seventh chord, and only the two horns play in the break a stopped, sinister, and painful Gb that leads us to the next chord, which is a diminished second chord. Although the atmosphere does not stay dramatic, and it sound more joyful and holy than sad and dark, but this one note still points out that one word which changes the meaning of the sentence:
First, the youth in our group will be welcomed! <-> ‘First, the youth in our group will be welcomed! With sorrow welcome!
Although there are more changes in the piece, than only the horn parts, it shows us how Schumann’s instrumentation for the horn section changed with the use of the valve horn.
