Explore the French Horn
Q: Which family of instruments does the French horn belong to?
A: The French Horn belongs to the brass family of instruments. The main instruments of the brass family include the trumpet, trombone, French horn, and tuba.
Q: What are the historical origins of the brass family?
A: The brass family traces its ancestry back to heraldic French horns, hunting horns, and military bugles.
Q: What are the ancient ancestors of the French horn?
A: The horn’s ancient musical ancestors are the conch shell and shofar.
Q: How did the French horn get its distinctive shape?
A: Its circular shape stems from its origins as a European hunting horn, with about 12 feet of narrow tubing wound into a circle – often compared to a meticulously-folded brass funnel cake.
Q: Who used the early version of the French horn?
A: Nobles and royals, such as France’s King Louis XIV, purchased and used these horns to display their wealth and status.
Q: How were early French horns used?
A: Surprisingly, early French horns were used for more than just music. They also had collectible and decorative value, with versions made from materials like ceramics, silver, and glass.
Q: Did early French horns have valves?
A: No, early horns had no valves; players had to control pitch using only their lips and their right hand.
Q: When and by whom was the first horn with valves invented?
A: The first horn with valves was created in 1814 by Heinrich Stölzel.
Q: Are French Horns French?
A: Contrary to its name, the French horn is not from France! The French horn was created in Germany.
Q: How does the horn work?
A: To make sounds with the French horn, one has to vibrate their lips inside the mouthpiece (it’s also called buzzing!). The mouthpiece is connected to the tubes of the horn, and this air-powered buzzing travels from the mouth, through the tubes, and comes out of the bell! Just like the other brass instruments, horns have keys, which the horn player presses with his left hand. The keys adjust the distance the air travels inside the instrument, and that helps produce the different notes. The horn player also has to use their lips and control the amount of air used to help with the note changing!
Q: What about the right hand?
A: You probably have noticed that horn players always have their right hand inside the bell. The hand in the bell helps with tuning, sound effects, and of course, it helps hold the horn!
Q: What do French horns do?
A: French horns are like the chameleons of the orchestra. They can produce a thunderous and sharp sound, but can also create a soft, sweet, and mellow sound. In the orchestra, we can see them in pairs or significant sections with eight players or more! We also hear a lot of French horns in holiday songs and in many movie and video game soundtracks. And that’s not all – we also see horn players playing jazz and blues!
Q: Why do brass players dump water from inside their instruments?
A: You might have noticed that brass players clean their instruments by using the “spit valve” or by taking apart some of the tubes. That liquid is not just spit! Instead, it consists of condensed moisture from the breath of the player. The amount of water accumulated is directly proportional to the size of the instrument and the amount of metal exposed to the air, which in turn enables the process of condensation due to warm, moist air from the lungs meeting metal cooled by room-temperature air.
Notable Excerpts for Horn Players
Tchaikovsky Symphony 4 – excerpt
This is the opening of the symphony! The first sound the audience hears:
Mahler Symphony 5, Movement 3 – excerpt
The entire movement is for “corno obligato” and orchestra. This means the first horn player has many solos, and “musical conversations” with the rest of the orchestra. It’s a very important part for horn players!
Interested in learning French Horn? Visit our Music Teacher page to find more about our instructors and how they can help you achieve your musical goals.
About the Author
Our Explore Musical Instruments series of articles were written for and contributed to Note-worthy Experiences® Music Studio by current and past music instructors. We appreciate their generosity in sharing their experiences and expertise!
