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If, like me you relish the challenge of a hard horn piece, but have exhausted all the repertoire given to you,or you are just stuck for something to play, this list of pieces should offer something fresh and new for you to try:
This piece is one of my favourites, and it explores in depth the capabilities and quatilties of the horn. There is an indication at the beginning that the first section should be played using hand horn techniques, but you should only do this if you are playing this piece for an exhibition, because people might think that you were playing the wrong notes if you were playing it at a concert! It was one of Dennis Brain's favourite pieces and has been recorded by both him and Michael Thompson. Click here to hear Michael Thompson play a part of Villanelle
These pieces are very pleasant to the ear, and are fun to play. There are six pieces in the suite, and they all contrast in some way from one another. The fourth piece is for muted horn all the way through, and the sixth piece is the most exciting, combining the agressiveness of the horn with the smooth sound it produces to make an exciting ending. Cornucopia is not very hard to learn if you are at a fairly advanced level, and is good to do if you are bored. It might be useful listening to a recording of it, and, again it is Michael Thompson's recording that gets the thumbs up.
This is one of the more virtuosic pieces that the repertoire has to offer. It basically has three sections: The first section is a theme and variations, the second is the more 'cantabile' section, and the last is the most virtuosic part of the piece, combining fast triplets with arpeggios leading up to high notes, to make it one of the more difficult pieces in the repertoire too! The whole piece is more suited for advanced players, but the first and second sections are fairly playable for players at Grade 5 and above. Click here to hear a part of Morceau De Concert
This piece is fun to do, and provides a lot of technical difficulties that have to be overcome. Its form is basically ABA, the first section being a fast, jolly section, the second requiring more 'expressivo' qualities, and the last is a repeat of the first section, with a coda which even now I have not fully mastered. A fun piece, that will make you practice until you get it right.
A piece which allows the horn both to sing, and to show vigour and anger. This piece also has a big range, from a pedal A flat, to a top A flat, which gives it a range of exactly three octaves. Once you have tried it, you will not leave it, that's a guarantee! This piece is playable by anyone who has got Grade 6, and was on the Grade 7 syllabus last year.
This piece I discovered only a few months ago, and it is a very nice and expressive piece which allows the horn to show off the very mellow sound it can produce. This piece is ideal for horn players of all levels, the less advanced players working on their technique and it is quite "lastable" for those who don't have much stamina. Although this piece was set for Grade 5 last year, it is very good for advanced players, especially to experiment with the sound that is made, as the piece can be played in several styles. It is also fairly playable on the natural horn too.
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Paul Dukas - Villanelle
Thomas Dunhill - Cornucopia, a sheaf of miniatures
Camille Saint-Saëns - Morceau de Concert
Malcolm Arnold - Fantasy for solo horn
Franz Strauss - Nocturno
Saint-Saëns - Romance