Keynote : Brave Belgians! Ghentian Horn Players and the ‘Lyrical’ Style, 1872-1962

In around 1870 both Belgian horn repertoire and playing style undertook a drastic stylistic volte-face. The earlier joyful and elegantly ornamented manner instigated by the eminent musicians Martin-Joseph Mengal and François-Joseph Fétis suddenly changed into a highly poetic and lyrical musical language with an emphasis on transparency, simplicity, and accessibility. This lyrical horn playing style was promoted by a generation of players who had been trained at the Liège Royal Conservatory. These emerging artists were aided and abetted by the artistic and institutional achievements of leading figures in the Belgian music scene as François-Auguste Gevaert, Théodore Radoux and Adolphe Samuel. The new style of playing spread rapidly in the quickly growing Belgian horn scene, and —through the diaspora of Belgian émigré musicians—also impacted upon orchestras abroad. A particular development of the lyrical style emerged at the Ghent Royal Conservatory during the Belle Epoque era. These Ghentian players would have a notable impact on a significant proportion of romantic Belgian repertoire as well as on future generations of players worldwide. This opening keynote of our Historical Horn Conference will focus on the conditions that led to the creation of this hitherto underexposed episode in horn history in relation to repertoire, instrument use and global importance