French Horn, The
Created | Updated Mar 18, 2002
The French Horn, or Horn in F, is a brass musical instrument, and is a descendant of the Natural Horn, which itself is derived from the horns used throughout the ages for hunting, summoning, and signalling. The modern French Horn is a curled metal tube, twisted into a circular shape, with a 'bell' flaring out at one end, and the 'mouthpiece' at the other end. There are three, or usually four keys (rather than 'valves' as in most brass instruments) on the left hand side of the instrument. The player sits or stands, cradling the horn in his arms, his left hand resting on the keys, and the right hand supporting the bell. The right hand is instrumental in lowering the tone of the instrument, to prevent it from being sharp. By 'blowing' air through the mouthpiece, the player can sound a note ranging from approximately bottom E to approximately top E. A loose lip emoucheure will result in a low note. A tight lip emoucheure will result in a high note. Depressing the keys in various combinations along with sepcific emboucheures will result in a variety of notes.
Many Horns nowadays are called 'double' or even 'triple'. This means that a second (or third) Horn is incorporated into the instrument, and, by the use of a fourth key, this horn can be accessed, which relieves troubles (such as sharpness, flatness or difficulty in obtaining a note) encountered by the player with the 'first' Horn.
The sound the French Horn creates is more mellow and soft than a trumpet, and is similar to a trombone (though less brassy), and almost identical to e Tenor Horn (though capable of sounding more expressive most of the time). Only towards the middle of the 19th century did French Horns, rather than Natural Horns, begin to see use, and that in Orchestras, rather than brass bands (which were themselves a product of the 19th century).
Famous pieces of music for the French Horn include: Mozart's 4th Horn Concerto; the Nocturne from Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream; and Schumman's Konzertstuck for Horn Quartet.
Many Horns nowadays are called 'double' or even 'triple'. This means that a second (or third) Horn is incorporated into the instrument, and, by the use of a fourth key, this horn can be accessed, which relieves troubles (such as sharpness, flatness or difficulty in obtaining a note) encountered by the player with the 'first' Horn.
The sound the French Horn creates is more mellow and soft than a trumpet, and is similar to a trombone (though less brassy), and almost identical to e Tenor Horn (though capable of sounding more expressive most of the time). Only towards the middle of the 19th century did French Horns, rather than Natural Horns, begin to see use, and that in Orchestras, rather than brass bands (which were themselves a product of the 19th century).
Famous pieces of music for the French Horn include: Mozart's 4th Horn Concerto; the Nocturne from Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream; and Schumman's Konzertstuck for Horn Quartet.
