Music For Horns

Jesu, joy of man’s desiring is item no.10 of the cantata “Heart of mouth and deed and life” (“Herz und Mund und Tat und Leven”) BWV147, one of the better known works of all the cantatas. Originally scored for trumpet, two violins, viola, basso continuo and 4-part choir, the eight horns are an ideal choice to represent both the orchestra and the choir. In fact parts 1-4 and 5-8 are used like two different sections alternating in playing the main theme.

The original key of G major was transposed into horn pitch (sounding C major), so playing this arrangement feels like playing from the original score. This keeps the upper limited range limited, and still doesn’t go too low to make it impossible to play. As with most Martinet arrangements, this is an excellent transcription, very faithful to the original, not very hard to play, and so both enjoyable for the performers as well as the audience.