The Evolution of the French Horn

The Evolution of the French Horn

The Start of the Modern Horn

Crooks and Hand Technique

Video

First Horns/Horn Ancestors

• in the early 1700s crooks where invented
• although improving crooks had down sides
• when the hand technique was invented it was just technique not the horn changing

• by mid 1800 valveless crook horns where surpassed by the rotary single
• by the late 1800 century rotary horns had gained more popularity then the piston
• the hand technique was no longer needed and rapidly fading
• 1897 Fritz Kruspe was the first to make a double horn

• earliest horn like instrument was called the Lur
• the Lur served as a battlefield horn
• in Europe the horn had started to be used for the sport of hunting
• the hunting horn had had some what taken the shape of the Lur

The Lur

Hunting Horn

Fritz Krupe

French horns sound

1800

1600

2000

1700

B.C

Breakthrough

Starting Off In Bands and Changing Keys

Horns We Play Today

Why I Picked The French Horn

Rotary valve

Hope you learned more about the history

of the horn!

(most common)

• the sound of the instrument
• brass
• type of music it plays in concert+solo
• the fact its an uncommon instrument
• the fingering and playing

• most popular the double horn
• f horn (single)
• b flat horn (single)

• in 1800 multiple horns where being created
• the main idea was for the hornest to switch between crooks easily
• in 1816 Heinrich Stolzel and Friedrich Perinet patented the valve mechanism (piston)
• in 1832 the rotary valve was created by Joseph Riedl

• when the horn stared to joined in performances like operas, concert halls and theaters it was limited in playing ability
• was mostly used for harmonic in playing pieces
• before crooks the only way for note change was embouchure and air flow + broken scales
• when playing to change keys the horniest had to change horns

double

single b flat

single f

Heinirich Stolzel