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why is the french horn in the woodwind quintet?

6/27/2014

4 Comments

 
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"The French horn, first developed in the 1680s, was originally used to signal the beginning of a hunt, according to Horn History. However, as composers began writing more complex music for the horn, its structure and tonal characteristic changed.Brass or Woodwind. The French horn is technically a brass instrument because it is made of brass. However, its warm mellow sound blends well with woodwinds, which is why composers began writing it into woodwind quintets, according to the International Music Foundation of Chicago.

Brass Quintet: The versatility of the French horn is such that it can also be part of a brass quintet.

French Horn and Saxophone: The French horn is so similar to woodwind instruments that it often shares parts with the alto saxophone in larger band settings. Both of these instruments, in fact, can be seen as a link between the brass and the woodwind family.

French Horn and Flute: The flute is a woodwind often mistaken for brass because it is made out of metal, usually silver or gold. Unlike the French horn, though, the flute is a true woodwind and was originally made from roof, though it produces sound by air passing over an opening instead of vibrating a reed.

Hand in Bell: Most French horn players support the horn by sticking their hand in the bell. According to McAnulty College's School of Music, this also mutes the tone and gives the French horn the mellower, distant tone for blending with woodwinds."

Source: Horn Planet: History of the French Horn
Chicago International Music Foundation: Questions About Woodwind Quintet
McAnulty School of Music: French Horn Information

Read more: Why is there a French horn in a woodwind quintet? | Answerbag http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1927779#ixzz35sGLV9YY

4 Comments
Karly
10/14/2017 08:42:17 pm

Simple answer, the saxophone didn't exist when composers were writing woodwind quintets so the only thing available to use was the F Horn.

Reply
CTB
1/23/2018 09:13:47 am

Karly - I suppose that is a 'tongue in cheek' comment (you're a saxophonist, right?). The saxophone was invented in 1840 (only about a dozen years after Beethoven died). Though the date of invention was after the large number of Reica and Danzi Quintets were written (with French Horn), there were countless pieces being written for saxophone in the last half of the 1800's - none of them included works replacing the French horn with a saxophone. And, certainly there are countless numbers of WW quintets written in the last century and currently that never substitute the sax for the horn.

And, of course, there's the fact that the French horn has an astounding range of at least 4 octaves (even more with a professional horn player) and the saxophone has a range of only 2 octaves and a fifth (a bit more on newer saxophones). All of the woodwinds in the WW quintet have greater ranges than this.

Finally, although the sax is a great solo instrument and in an ensemble of only saxophones has a most unique sound, it does not blend well with the traditional woodwinds. Whereas, the French horn (especially with the right hand in the bell muting its sound) blends very well with woodwinds. Only a very limited part of the mid-range of saxophones blend well with the other woodwinds.

However, having said all of this, the idea of using a saxophone with flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon intrigues me. I like to compose and arrange chamber music. Although, I just can't wrap my 'ears' around the sound just yet, I'm going to experiment with writing something with that combination of instruments :-)

Reply
Claudio Werner link
12/21/2018 07:57:05 pm

These days are so many instruments made from many material but wood

Reply
Clarinet Fingering Chart link
5/25/2019 05:16:34 am

woodwind instruments are great

Reply



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