Idiomatic Horn Writing: The Formal and Historical Contexts of Four Horn Pieces

As performers on the modern horn, we are presented with literature that was written for an instrument that differs from the one we use today. The fact that much of our solo literature was written for the natural horn does not invalidate our performances of it on the modern double horn. However, in order to present the music correctly, we must be aware of the development of the horn and historical context. In this document, I explore four pieces from different points in horn history. I assert the reasons each composer wrote the way he did by considering the physical makeup of the horn at the time, the expectations of form, the specific horn players composed for, and the composer\u27s intent. This document accompanies a recital given on April 13, 2014 at the Doudna Fine Arts Center at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL