French Horn Essentials

The French horn's predecessors, “natural” metal or bone horns, were mainstays of ancient music, and the current valved iteration holds a beloved place in much modern composition. Whether sounding the call to the hunt, dancing up and down the chromatic scale as the centrepiece of a sonata or adding a subtle, haunting effect to the symphonic palette, this bent hunk of brass can be the most sombre or the most joyful instrument in its section. Learn its vast emotional range here from some of the world's horn virtuosos as they tackle compositions both classic and contemporary.