In the day-to-day
activity of assisting players of many nationalities and every
stage of attainment in the choice of an instrument (whether of our
own or other make), PAXMAN are in a unique position to have
observed over many years exactly what is involved in moving from
one type of horn to another. Most noticeable are the widely
differing modes of right-hand placement in the bell-throat, not
only between one country and another but even among neighbouring
cities, and the striking effect this can have upon a player's
performance when moving from a small-bore to a larger, or from a
conventional instrument to a Descant-horn.
From this observation has emerged
the clear fact that, whereas a sketchy or (in the former French
and Belgian schools) non-existent hand-presence may serve for the
smallest-throated bells, ALL instruments perform better, in tone
and intonation over their widest range, with the use of one
particular method--that traditionally employed by the great XIXth century hand horn virtuosi. PAXMAN make no claim to have
discovered this--only to have confirmed its efficacy and
importance by establishing the acoustic reasons for it. The
following illustration is taken from the late XIXth century Method
of H. Kling, and it is precisely this position which is most
effective in every type of instrument from the Classical hand-horn
(for which it was partly intended) through all sizes of bell
throat and tube-length down to the modern bb soprano
Descant-horn--accurately encompassing some 4 3/4 octaves in
range.
This represents the
hand-position for normal 'open' playing, but note that it is also
an ideal starting-posture for instantly closing the bell merely by
bringing the heel of the hand over to the nearer side while the
nails and backs of the fingers remain against the further wall of
the bell; this is essential for a good hand-stopping technique.
Observe also that no part of the thumb other than the nail and top
knuckle-certainly not the base of the thumb-is held
against the metal. If that occurs in any but the smallest of
bells, notes as written for F-horn at the top of the treble staff
(e g. F and F#), no matter whether played on the F-horn or on the
Bb, will be noticeably flattened and lose their tonal centre. In
addition, their respective lower octaves at the foot of the treble
staff will tend to sharpness, and hence vital intervals in the
horn's chief melodic register will be destroyed. The larger the
bell-throat, the more pronounced this effect will be. It should be
noted too, that the thumb-tip must be consciously lifted up on to
the base of the forefinger to close any gap there, and not be
merely suffered to lie alongside it. Unfortunately some
illustrated Methods are published seemingly condoning this fault,
which will almost certainly bring the entire side of the hand (all
of the forefinger and thumb) into contact with the bell-wall, and
the consequent difficulties of intonation for many types of
horn.
Thus it is that a hand-position,
though admissible for the old narrow-throated 'French' horn and
possibly for a modern medium bell, may well be unsuitable for any
larger size; It is saddening to hear excellent players condemning
a fine instrument as out-of-tune and of inconsistent tonal
response, when the simple remedy may lie (so to say) in their own
hands.
Since double horns are quite
heavy to hold, there has arisen a practice of resting the bell-rim
on the right thigh while playing, in extreme cases directing the
sound straight in towards the body. Apart from muffling the tone,
this usually precludes a proper hand-position in the bell and an
important part of horn-technique may well be lost, since
the resulting timbre is further dulled by the lack of upper
partial tones which good hand placement brings, and which are the
very fabric of a musically telling sound. Although very young
players will doubtless at first have to rest the instrument on
their knee, care should be taken to avoid forming this as a habit,
and to take the earliest opportunity of lifting it so as just to
clear the body. Thus, it is immaterial to the player whether
'stands he, or sits he ? or does he walk? or is he on his
horse?'--the same attitude serves all modes of performance and
allows maximum relaxation for that reason; there is no doubt that
a solo-instrumentalist in recital or concerto presents a more
commanding figure when standing. Moreover it should be remembered
that a musician must spend many hours day and night in playing,
and problems may arise from the posture adopted when tucking the
bell in towards the body --disorders of the neck, shoulder and arm
during the course of years; incorrect and inefficient breathing
can also occur. Certainly there are very many superb players who
are seen to play in this way; nonetheless it is as well to be
aware of the possible disadvantages.
How is it that gaps between
fingers and thumb, or (more acutely) floating movements of the
hand in the bell in the attempt to secure certain notes, can have
such adverse effect on the upper notes of a horn? It is an
acoustical fact that, unaided by a hand, a horn of any length will
play accurately enough up to an octave or so above the piano's
middle-C. Above this, distinct centres increasingly leave the
notes as one tries to ascend, and a correctly-held hand remedies
that in the following way.
A horn falls into two notional
zones along its course--a comparatively narrow, strongly-active,
resonating air-column which extends as far as a reflecting
'threshold' at a point in the bell taper, and thereafter a flaring
'megaphone' largely serving to amplify and project the sound. The
point of demarcation between these takes up a position in the
tubing according to the pitch of the note being played, lying back
towards the fingerhook for the middle-C as written for F-horn, and
constantly processing out to the bell's mouth as higher notes are
sounded. By the high written G it has arrived at the player's
right hand, and thereafter the presence of his palm is demanded to
form a confined duct in extension of the bell-throat, if the
necessary support is to be given to wave-formations which will
project notes higher than that. The pitches just named remain
constant, with their respective phenomena, regardless of the
length of the horn on which they are sounded. If this duct is
carefully formed (and that is why there must be no openings other
than one clear passage between the palm and the bell-wall) then
the horn will render a further clear octave of well defined notes,
whatever its tube length. Since a small addition of
effective tube has thus been formed, the tuning-slide should
be well-in, but the entire horn will be found to be relatively
very well in tune over an extremely wide compass .
In short, the hand-position here
described is of advantage to all horns, critically important in
those of larger bore, and (one would stress) indispensable for
Descant-horns. As the prime purpose of these is to provide surety
in the upper register, the carefully-formed duct between palm and
bell-wall is vitally necessary, and in a very short instrument may
approach a semitone's added length; it may be observed that
less-skilled players of these draw out the tuning-slide much too
far and also fail notably in the high range-the very hazard they
sought to avoid by adopting a Descant-horn.
It has been noted that the
principal resonating-portion of the air column, starting always in
the mouthpiece, occupies less of the horn's length for low notes
and increases to the whole of it for very high ones. Indeed, this
is the very reason for which one end of the horn is made to flare
out so widely--i.e. in order to sharpen the lowest notes very
markedly from what they would otherwise be, but in controlled
progression ever less so, until the high notes are reached
virtually unchanged.
The necessity for
this-exactly what the notes of an instrument narrow for its
entire length would be, together with the effect of negating the
horn's flare by blocking it off almost entirely at the
throat (which one does by hand-stopping)-will be
discussed in later sections of this book.
The horn, the
horn...
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Copyright© 1978 Richard Merewether
