Significa #9

ANSWERS

Horn Section

1. What is Ifor James' real first name? (I have given this answer on the net recently)

   Richard Ifor James

   Alan Davis
   Anonymous

2. Alan Civil reminiscing about family dynasties in horn playing: "Well, old man ___ had several sons playing the horn. Francis told me that he and his brother Emile would have to play horn duets for the old man, and they never finished a lesson until Francis had an awful blue ring on his lips, and Emile invariably used to faint. Sometimes if the old man didn't like their playing he'd hit them on the back of the neck. That though old Saxon way. I can see both sides of it..." What family is Alan referring to (father)? Who were the sons? (Advanced: There are TWO last names involved, however, either one will score).

   F. Adolf Borsdorf and sons Emile Borsdorf and Frances (Borsdorf) Bradley. All noted professional career hornists (Frances changed his lastname to Bradley during a time when having German parentage was frowned upon, if you get my drift.)

   Additionally, Peter McDonald writes: I was one of Francis' pupils. Friedrich Adolf Borsdorf (1854-1923) trained more than 60 pupils, including his sons Oskar, Francis (who changed his surname to Bradley, to help establish an artistic identity separate from his father and brothers), and Emil, as well as the brothers Alfred and Aubrey Brain. Another of his pupils, Frank Probyn, succeeded him at the Royal College of Music.

   Peter McDonald
   Howard Gilbert
   Burt Hardin
   Tom Witte

3. This question takes some preparation. Suppose you have just purchased a used horn, say an Alexander but it really doesn't matter, from a well known professional. It plays well, nice and smooth but the valves are worn and noisy and you detect leakage when you do the "block the third valve receiver test" and you decide to have it reconditioned before you press it into service. In the shop the artisan removes dents, plates and laps the valves and generally does a major overhaul of the horn. When you get the horn back, it looks wonderful but when you try to play it, several changes are noticeable. The first thing you notice is that the valves are quiet, work smoothly and perfectly but you start cracking notes at an alarming rate. Whenever a valve is depressed, there is a non-mechanical noise, puff or pop that is loud enough to disturb your embouchure and get nasty comments from the recording engineers. You do the block the third valve receiver test and the horn is absolutely tight, no leaks. You now just blow air through the horn while actuating the valves and hear quite a bit of puffing and popping. You remembered to clean the inside of the horn after torches had been used on it and rinsed it out with water treated with a few drops of automatic dishwasher spotfree solution so you know that water is not "sticking" in the bore. You also notice that when you take your horn out of the case after being in your car and you depress the valves the noise is still there, and you didn't even blow into it! Your playing seems to be "off" and you crack many notes, slurs do not "center" and are also often missed. What, if anything, is wrong or is it just unfamiliar since it has just been reconditioned?

   Valves fitted too tight

   Briefly, what you've got here is a horn that had the valve bodies plated and either not lapped at all or insufficiently lapped and are fitted too tight. Valves that are too tight a seal can cause what is known as "compression/vacuum phenomena" which is extremely disturbing to the initial formation of the musical note and, in turn, the embouchure. The horn needs to go back to the shop for a little more grinding of the valve bodies. Note that this is not a problem with the bushing/shaft of the valve and the valve can usually turn freely. If the bushing was also tight it is unlikely the horn would have been released from the shop in the first place. Horns with "sculpted or hollow" valves are not as prone to this problem due to a much smaller sealing area and have sufficient bypass of air.

   Scott Hartman
   Howard Gilbert
   David Crane
   Tom Witte
   Steve Haflich

4. Below is a famous quote. The advice is being offered by the famous first-chair hornist and a new (young) conductor. Who are the participants?

   "When you get lost, and you will, everybody does at one time or another, just make some elegant vague motions and we'll put it all to right quickly enough. But for God's sake don't lose your nerve and start flogging away at us, then we'll get lost too and everybody's in trouble"

   Barry Tuckwell to Andre Previn

   Howard Gilbert
   Tom Witte

   ---

   Non-Horn Offering

5. What is the name of the female British composer (with recorded horn compositions) who was as least as well known for her poli-social (actually woman's suffrage) involvement as her music?

   Dame Ethel Smythe

   Howard Gilbert
   Peter McDonald
   Tom Witte

6. What is Boyd Neel's real first name?

   Louis

   Peter McDonald
   Howard Gilbert
   Burt Hardin

7. What is the name of the famous hornist who was appointed associate conductor to the American Symphony Orchestra under Leo(pold) Stokowski in 1964?

   Joseph Eger

   Tom Witte

8. What do Handel's Water Music and Schubert's Auf Dem Stroem have in common? Why is the knowledge of this (connecting factor) not really necessary to perform the Handel (musically) but imperative to the quality of the artistic performance of the Schubert?

   Both works are associated with water. Handel's Water Music isn't programmed and makes no musical reference to water, but Schubert has the horn representing the unchanging, relentlessly flowing stream.

   (Fine answer by Peter McDonald)

   the Handel was only meant to be played on water (i.e. in boats) whereas the Schubert is actually about water and you need to get a watery effect in the playing (especially the piano part).

   (Fine answer by Howard Gilbert)

   Howard Gilbert
   Burt Hardin
   David Crane
   Peter McDonald
   Tom Witte

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