Recital Pieces for Two Horns and Piano, Vol. 1
arr. by Cynthia Carr
$23
The original repertoire for two horns with piano is somewhat limited, and consists mostly of difficult baroque and classical duo-concertos (in which the piano plays the orchestra reduction), and a small number of excellent contemporary works such as Andrea Clearfield’s Into the Falcon’s Eye and Randall Faust’s Three American Folk Songs . I have always enjoyed Verne Reynolds’ Brahms vocal duet arrangements for two horns and piano, and have taken them as my inspiration for these Recital Duets. My aim in presenting these arrangements is to expand the range of pieces for two horns and piano – to provide duos that are not especially difficult technically, but are musically satisfying. I hope that these pieces will be utilized by hornists in many different circumstances: by students, who may appreciate the camaraderie and moral support of performing with another horn player; by professional players sharing a recital with a colleague in a conference or guest artist situation; and by avocational players for enjoyment.
Program Notes
Spanish-born soprano Maria Malibran was a legend in her own time, and is credited with establishing the 19th century version of the operatic ‘diva’. Critics praised her spontaneity on the opera stage and her limitless vocal range. She was born into an illustrious musical family and lived a tempestuous life that included a brief marriage to a banker 43 years her senior before meeting her soul-mate, the Belgian violinist Charles de Beriot. The pair lived together for six years, finally marrying in March of 1836; Malibran sadly died the following month as the result of a fall from a horse. She composed only a handful of vocal pieces; this duet was written for herself and her younger sister Pauline Viardot-Garcia, also a famous soprano. Although the title means “The Prisoner”, the text is actually quite lighthearted.
One of the greatest English composers of all time, Henry Purcell flourished during the period of the restoration of the British monarchy, a time of renewed interest in and importance of music in England. He spent much of his life as a composer and organist in the service of the royal family. He composed a great deal of instrumental and keyboard music, and also wrote extensively for the stage in the form of music dramas and incidental stage music. In addition, he composed many “odes” or collections of music in honor of a person or event. The two duos presented here are from the latter categories: Sound the Trumpet is from Come Ye Sons of Art, a birthday ode composed for Queen Mary in 1694, originally for two countertenors. Two Daughters of this Aged Stream, originally for two sopranos, is from the stage production King Arthur, Act. IV.
Louis Spohr was a noted German composer, violinist and conductor. Born Ludwig Spohr, he is usually known by the French form of his name outside Germany. He was a leading violin virtuoso of his time, and also composed extensively for the violin, including fifteen concertos, some three dozen string quartets, and a great deal of other string chamber music. Horn players may be familiar with his Nonet, scored for wind quintet, violin, viola, cello and bass. The two duos presented here were originally for two sopranos; Abendlied – “Evening Song” or Nocturne – is from Spohr’s collection of songs, opus 108 and Mein Heimathland – “My Homeland” – is without opus 16.
Tränen – “Tears” - is from a set of six duets for soprano and mezzo-soprano. Peter I. Tchaikowsky composed the set during the summer of 1880, and dedicated them to his niece, Tatiana Davidov. Tchaikowsky had already reached the pinnacle of his career by 1880, having completed by that time his first four symphonies, two piano concertos, the ballet Swan Lake and the opera Eugene Onegin. Although the genre of art song was not one of Tchaikowsky’s major areas of composition, this duet nevertheless exhibits the same extravagant and lush romantic expression that horn players have come to know in his orchestral works.
Program Notes
Spanish-born soprano Maria Malibran was a legend in her own time, and is credited with establishing the 19th century version of the operatic ‘diva’. Critics praised her spontaneity on the opera stage and her limitless vocal range. She was born into an illustrious musical family and lived a tempestuous life that included a brief marriage to a banker 43 years her senior before meeting her soul-mate, the Belgian violinist Charles de Beriot. The pair lived together for six years, finally marrying in March of 1836; Malibran sadly died the following month as the result of a fall from a horse. She composed only a handful of vocal pieces; this duet was written for herself and her younger sister Pauline Viardot-Garcia, also a famous soprano. Although the title means “The Prisoner”, the text is actually quite lighthearted.
One of the greatest English composers of all time, Henry Purcell flourished during the period of the restoration of the British monarchy, a time of renewed interest in and importance of music in England. He spent much of his life as a composer and organist in the service of the royal family. He composed a great deal of instrumental and keyboard music, and also wrote extensively for the stage in the form of music dramas and incidental stage music. In addition, he composed many “odes” or collections of music in honor of a person or event. The two duos presented here are from the latter categories: Sound the Trumpet is from Come Ye Sons of Art, a birthday ode composed for Queen Mary in 1694, originally for two countertenors. Two Daughters of this Aged Stream, originally for two sopranos, is from the stage production King Arthur, Act. IV.
Louis Spohr was a noted German composer, violinist and conductor. Born Ludwig Spohr, he is usually known by the French form of his name outside Germany. He was a leading violin virtuoso of his time, and also composed extensively for the violin, including fifteen concertos, some three dozen string quartets, and a great deal of other string chamber music. Horn players may be familiar with his Nonet, scored for wind quintet, violin, viola, cello and bass. The two duos presented here were originally for two sopranos; Abendlied – “Evening Song” or Nocturne – is from Spohr’s collection of songs, opus 108 and Mein Heimathland – “My Homeland” – is without opus 16.
Tränen – “Tears” - is from a set of six duets for soprano and mezzo-soprano. Peter I. Tchaikowsky composed the set during the summer of 1880, and dedicated them to his niece, Tatiana Davidov. Tchaikowsky had already reached the pinnacle of his career by 1880, having completed by that time his first four symphonies, two piano concertos, the ballet Swan Lake and the opera Eugene Onegin. Although the genre of art song was not one of Tchaikowsky’s major areas of composition, this duet nevertheless exhibits the same extravagant and lush romantic expression that horn players have come to know in his orchestral works.