The representative brass instrument is the horn
We interviewed horn player Yu Kumai
The name "horn" comes from the "horn" of an animal.
Long ago, in Europe, where hunting was popular, the horns of goats and water buffaloes were blown. Eventually, metal was used, because it was easy to bend and stretch the tube by applying heat, it was resistant to corrosion, and it had excellent sound transmission. The modern horn is made of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, and is a member of the brass instrument family.
The round shape of the horn is rooted in the fact that it was wrapped around a tube to be carried on a horse and worn over the shoulder when riding a horse. If all the tubes of a modern horn were extended, they would be nearly 4 meters long. A remnant of the time when he was chasing prey and blowing at his companions behind him, the bell is still facing backwards.
At first, only natural overtones could be played, but in the 18th century, the technique of inserting the right hand into the bell and adjusting the length of the tube to play scales was established. By doing so, you can now play the entire range smoothly and evenly.
Please tell me the songs that the horn plays an active part in
From the time of JS Bach and Handel to the present day, it is used symbolically in most of the works of the era to represent hunting scenes, nature, forests, or deep worlds such as outer space. It seems to be an instrument developed from hunting and war commands, and is very active in heroic and heroic scenes.
You may have a sober image of just backing up with brass band marches, but that's just a small part of what a horn does!
Many composers, including Haydn and Mozart, have written solos and concertos, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Mahler, Bruckner's symphonies, Wagner and Richard Strauss' operas, and John Williams' film scores. …. Beautiful horn melodies can be heard in many orchestral works.
A glimpse of Yu Kumai's performance!
＊Snail (song)
The role of brass instruments such as the trumpet, trombone, and tuba in an orchestra is to greatly expand the range of expression, not only in terms of tone, but especially in terms of volume. It's also interesting to hear how composers use the individuality of each instrument in their work.
The horn has a soft tone that blends well with all kinds of instruments, so it is often played with woodwind and stringed instruments, adding thickness and color to the sound. .
Basically, the 1st and 3rd players in charge of the high range and the 2nd and 4th players in charge of the low range work together to cover a wide range and play a single chord. Team play is a very important instrument.
