The use of the horn in the late orchestral works by Robert Schumann

Márton Kóródi

When I played a Schumann piece, Genoveva Overture, for the first time, I was wondering, because there were Ventilhorn and Waldhorn parts. I could not imagine what his idea was when he wrote for four horns, but still used two different kinds of the same instrument. Did he want to express something with this set-up? Beside this, I did not understand why he, and other romantic composers, use so much transposition when they had already a completely chromatic instrument. As I started to get to know and play the natural horn, it was getting clearer what his intention could have been. Why he used an ‘ancient’ instrument, though he could compose for four chromatic horns. This made me even more interested, and I also got more questions and hypotheses about the topic, for what I wanted to find an answer. In my research, I tried to get to know the use of the horn in the middle of the 19th century. I wanted to get familiar with the contemporaries’ imagination about the old and new instrument, and with the way how they used them. Then, with this knowledge, I analysed Schumann’s orchestral works, especially the horn parts, and tried to find out if the results are matching with the background research. My aim was too, show the horn players, that the romantic horn playing is not only about the ‘holy’ valve horn, but something more complex and colourful.

Musical examples

Bacon, Thomas. ‘Natural Harmonic Series - A Brief History of Horn Evolution’. The Cyberhorn Musem, 31 Jan. 2023, http://www.hornplanet.com/hornpage/museum/history/horn_history2.html.

Franz, Oscar. Grosse theoretisch-practische Waldhorn-Schule. Newly revised and Enlarged edition, Carl Fischer, 1906, https://imslp.org/wiki/Grosse_theoretisch-practische_Waldhorn-Schule_(Franz%2C_Oscar).

Halévy, Jacques-Francois. La Juive. Gossett, Philip and Charles Rosen, Early Romantic Opera, vol. 36, Schlesinger.

Hampel, Anton Joseph. Méthode pour Cor. Anton Joseph Hampel, Giovanni Punto, J.H. Naderman, 1794, https://imslp.org/wiki/M%C3%A9thode_pour_Cor_(Hampel%2C_Anton_Joseph).

Kling, Henri. Horn Schule. Rochester (1973), Louise Oertel, 1900, https://imslp.org/wiki/Horn_Schule_(Kling,_Henri).

Kröger, Hasko. Wagner: Rienzi Excerpt for Low Horn. https://www.hornprobespiel.de/PDFs/WAGNER%20%20RIENZI_t.pdf. Accessed 25 Aug. 2022.

Kuhlau, Friedrich. Concertino For 2 Horns and Orchestra, Op.45. C.F. peters, 1830, https://imslp.org/wiki/Concertino_For_2_Horns_and_Orchestra%2C_Op.45_(Kuhlau%2C_Friedrich).

---. Concertino For 2 Horns and Orchestra, Op.45. 1945, https://imslp.org/wiki/Concertino_For_2_Horns_and_Orchestra%2C_Op.45_(Kuhlau%2C_Friedrich).

Lully, Jean-Baptiste. Air des Valets de Chiens et des Chasseurs avec des Cors de Chasse - La Princesse d’Élide. 1664, https://imslp.org/wiki/La_Princesse_d'%C3%89lide_(Lully%2C_Jean-Baptiste).

Meifred, Pierre-Joseph. Méthode pour le Cor Chromatique ou à Pistons. First edition, Richault, 1840, https://imslp.org/wiki/M%C3%A9thode_pour_le_Cor_Chromatique_ou_%C3%A0_Pistons_(Meifred%2C_Pierre-Joseph).

Mendelssohn, Felix. Sechs Lieder Op.50. Julius Rietz, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1877, https://imslp.org/wiki/6_Lieder,_Op.50_(Mendelssohn,_Felix).

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Horn Konzert Nr.4 in Eb-Dur KV.495. Neue Mozart Ausgabe, Bärenreiter-Verlag, 1988.

Nemetz, Andreas. Horn-Schule, Op.18. Diabelli, 1829, https://imslp.org/wiki/Horn-Schule,_Op.18_(Nemetz,_Andreas).

Schubert, Franz. Auf Dem Strom D.943. Eusebius Mandyczewski, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1895, https://imslp.org/wiki/Auf_dem_Strom%2C_D.943_(Schubert%2C_Franz).

---. Nachtgesang Im Walde D.913. Eusebius Mandyczewski, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1891, https://imslp.org/wiki/Nachtgesang_im_Walde,_D.913_(Schubert,_Franz).

---. Symphony No.8 ‘Unfinished’ D.759. Johannes Brahms, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1885.

Schumann, Robert. Adventlied Op.71. Clara Schumann, Breitkopf & Härtel, 1882.

---. Genoveva Overture. Clara Schumann, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1882.

---. Manfred Overture Op.115. Clara Schumann, Breitkopf & Härtel, 1882.

---. Nachtlied Op.108. Clara Schumann, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1879.

---. Requiem Für Mignon Op.98b. Clara Schumann, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1881.

---. Symphony No.1 ‘Spring’ Op.38. Clara Schumann, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1881.

---. Symphony No.3 ‘Rheinisch’ Op.97. Clara Schumann, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1887.

---. Symphony No.4 Op.120 (Original). Johannes Brahms, Franz Wüllner, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1891.

---. Symphony No.4 Op.120 (Revised). Clara Schumann, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1882.

Strauss, Franz. Fantasie Über Den Sehnsuchtswaltzer von Beethoven Op.2. Falter & Sohn, 1845, https://imslp.org/wiki/Fantasie%2C_Op.2_(Strauss%2C_Franz).

Strauss, Richard. Hornkonzert in Eb-Dur Nr.1 op.11. E.F. Kalmus, 1976, https://imslp.org/wiki/Horn_Concerto_No.1,_Op.11_(Strauss,_Richard).

Wagner, Richard. Der Fliegende Holländer. Felix Weingartner, E.F. Kalmus, https://imslp.org/wiki/Der_fliegende_Holl%C3%A4nder%2C_WWV_63_(Wagner%2C_Richard). Accessed 12 Dec. 2022.

---. Lohengrin - Akt III. Universal Edition, Breitkopf und Härtel, 1906, https://imslp.org/wiki/Lohengrin,_WWV_75_(Wagner,_Richard).

Weber, Carl Maria von. Der Freischütz Op.77. 13 May 1820, https://imslp.org/wiki/Der_Freisch%C3%BCtz%2C_Op.77_(Weber%2C_Carl_Maria_von).

Pictures

Eduard Constantin Lewy (1796–1846). Collections of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien, https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2812659388811852&set=pcb.2810543222356802. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

Josef Rudolf Lewy (1802-1881). french-horn.net, https://www.french-horn.net/index.php/biographien/94-josef-rudolf-lewy.html. Accessed 2 Feb. 2023.

Bibliography

Recordings

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Márton Kóródi - The use of the horn in the late orchestral works by Robert Schumann - 2023