No images? Click here February 6, 2023 During a marathon Yuja Wang concert in New York last week, an older man fell unconscious in the crowd, prompting his wife to call for help. Yannick Nézet-Séguin paused the concert while a doctor resuscitated him in the lobby. The man was rushed to the hospital and is now recovering. +++ In today's email:
CLASSICAL CHARTS THE BIG IDEA Is it a "French Horn" or just a "Horn"?There is a meme going around that describes the colloquial term “French Horn” (“Horn” by others) as “an instrument of mental torture designed to embarrass the user as much as possible while collecting as much spit as possible.” While this might be true, especially the part about collecting spit, the horn has always been a bit of a misunderstood instrument. Firstly the name “French Horn” is a problem, not only because the modern horn is not French, but also because it’s actually German. While the type of German horn used in most orchestras worldwide is known simply as a “horn” in all but three countries (U.S., Britain, and Canada), it has somehow become attributed to the French, who had little to do with it. Even in France, it’s called a cor. To make matters worse, few can agree how it became known as French Horn at all. It would have made as much sense to call it a fog horn. It’s time we get to the bottom of this. But first, a little historyTo understand the etymology of the term “French horn,” we need to understand the history of the instrument in context. Since the woolly mammoth roamed the earth, humans have used animal horns as signalling instruments. They weren’t necessarily used for music, but eventually, after centuries of using animal horns, humans realized they could fashion them out of wood and metal and used them for things like rallying troops for war. In the 17th century, hunting became a popular sport for the nobility, and they began using horns during game hunting. As a result, its physical design began to change from a straight cone to curved shapes that extended the length of the tube, allowing for a broader range of pitches. They developed four different types of horns: Le grand cor (big horn); le cor qui n’a qu’un seul tour (horn with one turn); cor à plusieurs (horn with many turns); le huchet (calling horn). Composers really liked the sound and started using it in the concert hall as special effects to depict hunting. Jean-Baptiste Lully was one of the first to do this in his 1664 Ballet. At this time, horns were not capable of playing reliably. But this was about to change when the German Count Franz Anton von Sporck (and hunter and arts patron) brought some horns from France back to Bohemia. The Germans started to get better at playing them. 1914 Rossi French Horn Patent As the playing became more reliable for musical performances, Baroque composers began writing parts for them. At this time, horns could only play in specific keys, thus requiring many different horns to play a single piece of music. It was challenging and expensive. By 1750, a virtuoso horn player named Anton Hampel developed a way to use a single horn to play music in different keys by using his hand inside the bell of the instrument and the use of individual crooks (see image below). The Classical era Horn was born, and composers Mozart and Haydn welcomed it in their works. You can hear Mozart’s enthusiasm for it in his famous horn concerti. Horn crooks. Photo: Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection In the early 1800s, a major advancement was made in Germany by Heinrich Stölzel. He figured out a way to change the length of tubes in a horn by using pistons and, later, rotary valves, which eliminated the need for cumbersome mouthpiece crooks. This new valve-fitted horn was to become the “German Horn”, which eventually became known simply as the “Horn” or “Horn in F.” In Germany, they call them “Waldhorn” (Forrest Horn) or “Horn”. The question is……how did it become known as the “French Horn” in Canada, the U.S. and Britain? Hypothesis AOne possibility is that the term “French Horn” may originate from Count Franz Anton von Sporck, who initially brought French hunting horns with him back to Germany. Because these were the ones used in France, some may have described them as “French Horns”. The term may have been brought to Britain and then onto the new world of Canada and the U.S. by those who used the national distinction. Hypothesis BBritish and French Hunting Horns are of different sizes, and when they began being used as a musical instruments in Britain, the size reminded them of the larger French hunting horns. Colloquially they liked to call them “French Horns” rather than "German Horns", which they were. Hypothesis CIn the late 17th century, the best horns were made in France. They created the famous circular shape of the instrument. The German makers contributed the crooks that enabled them to be played in more keys. In England, around 1730, the instruments were becoming popular and were distinguished between the simple hunting horns and the circular hoop-shaped newer ones using the national designators “French” and “German”. ConclusionWhile some Horn players continue to cringe when people call it a “French Horn”, it is an interesting part of the instrument’s history and nothing to denigrate. The controversy surrounding the proper name started in 1971 when the International Horn Society made a point of adding the distinction as a rather surly slogan: “The International Horn Society recommends that HORN be recognized as the correct name for our instrument in the English language. [From the Minutes of the First General Meeting, June 15, 1971, Tallahassee, Florida USA]” The recommendation was used up until a few years ago and figured prominently on the IHS website and print publications. THE LATEST Awards: Last night Beyoncé took home her 32nd Grammy Award, surpassing conductor Georg Solti for the record. Orchestras: Philadelphia Orchestra extends its contact with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, including a new title. Conductors: Sir Simon Rattle goes under the knife and cancels shows. Opera: Deutsche Oper names new General Manager. Season announcements: Teatro Grattacielo announces 2022-23 Season. Profile: Pianist Stephen Hough on life as a prodigy – and playing for Jimmy Savile. Funding: The multi-Oscar-winning English costume designer Sandy Powell says cuts are killing creativity in UK arts. Piano: 12-year-old Ukrainian refugee lands a place studying piano at the Junior Royal Academy of Music. Museum: US National Music Museum begins reopening. FRONT PAGE Classical 2023 Grammy Award winners announcedThe American classical music and opera world celebrated its own at the 2023 Grammy Awards last night in Los Angeles. The 2023 classical Grammy winners were:
Key takeawaysRaising some eyebrows, a youth orchestra (New York Youth Symphony) beat out some of America’s finest professional orchestras — taking home what is regarded as the highest honour for an orchestral recording. Last night Beyoncé took home her 32nd Grammy Award, surpassing conductor Georg Solti for the record number of awards won. Montreal’s Yannick Nézet-Séguin landed two Grammys last night: best opera recording (Blanchard: Fire Shut Up In My Bones) and best classical solo vocal album, where he was a pianist (Voice Of Nature – The Anthropocene). Last year he took home his first grammy for best orchestral performance. All in all, it was a great night for classical music. Congrats to all the winners and nominees! For the complete list of winners, see here. OPERA HOUSE Italians band together to save Verdi’s houseThe Italian government has a new plan to buy the home of composer Giuseppe Verdi in Milan. They will be partnering with opera houses throughout Italy to present concerts featuring music by Verdi, with all proceeds going towards purchasing the composer’s home. Verdi built the house in 1848, and his parents lived there before he moved in with his second wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, in 1851. He lived in the home until he died in 1901. The house is currently owned by descendants of Maria Filomena Verdi, the composer’s younger cousin. the Carrara Verdi family. Family mattersFor over 20 years, the Carrara Verdi family could not agree on selling the house, living in it, or turning it into a museum. After a messy legal battle, Italy’s supreme court ruled that it must be sold, and the proceeds divided among them. Until October, Villa Verdi was lived in by Angiolo Carrara Verdi and partly used as a museum, with visitors able to tour rooms, including one containing the bed and other furniture items from the hotel room in Milan where the composer died. Until this past October, the family allowed visitors to tour the house, showing Verdi’s bed and other personal effects. In a nutshell
This move to preserve Verdi’s home is a significant step in recognizing the importance of the composer’s life and work and his impact on Italy and the world. It will also serve as a valuable resource for future generations to learn about Verdi’s life and classical music history in Italy. VOCAL MANEUVERS Mezzo-soprano makes opera history with less than 24 hours' noticeFrench Mezzo-soprano Katia Ledoux has made opera history by becoming the first woman to perform the male lead tenor role in Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld” — all on a day’s notice. The performance took place at the Vienna Volksoper, where Ledoux’s portrayal of the character Hoffmann was met with a standing ovation. The role is traditionally performed by a male tenor and is known for its demanding vocal range and athleticism. How did this come about?The mezzo-soprano offered to step into the lead role when tenor Daniel Kluge fell ill. For one night only, Ledoux made history on the Volksoper stage by playing both the soprano and leading tenor role in the challenging 19th-century operetta. You can read Ledoux tell the incredible story in her our words via Facebook. AROUND THE WEB 📅 On this day: in 1921, Charlie Chaplin released his first full-length feature - "The Kid", a silent film starring Charlie Chaplin & Jackie Coogan 🎹 Guide: Meet the Casablanca — the most expensive piano ever sold at auction 🍆 Video: This squirting cucumber has the ability to launch its seeds up to 6 metres away (NSFW) 🐟 Discovery: Blind ‘Unicorn’ Fish accidentally found in China ✍️ That’s cute: Girl asks police to run a DNA test on Christmas cookie for evidence of Santa Claus 🤔 Fascinating: What did the ancient Egyptian pyramids look like when they were built? CARTOON OF THE WEEK Credit: Jeffrey Curnow / NPR How did you like today's email? |