A4, Score (12) & parts (10x2=20, plus optional tuba, 1, total=21)
Horns
10
Additional Equipment
Others
Other Instruments
Difficulty
3
Duration
4
Structure / Movements
One movement.
Allegro
Clefs
Treble, bass
Meters
C
Key signatures
2b
Range
Horn 1: d1 - c3
Horn 2: g - bb2
Horn 3: bb - c3
Horn 4: c1 - g2
Horn 5: f - a2
Horn 6: g - f2
Horn 7: e - c2
Horn 8: d - g1
Horn 9: G - d1 (f1 with tuba)
Horn 10: F - bb (eb1 with tuba)
Creator's Comments
This is the Sinfonia commonly referred to as “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” that begins the second section of Handel’s oratorio Solomon. Originally orchestrated for strings and oboes, it is quite playable by brass.
This is a recreational arrangement that I wrote for my friends at Rocky Mountain Horn Club. It is intended as an addition to the large Horn Ensemble repertoire for fun and enjoyment rather than as an academic endeavour.
The 10 Horn parts are in F and the optional Tuba is in C. When Tuba is used with the ensemble, the ninth and tenth Horns should play the upper notes where marked by an asterisk.
Performance Notes
In addition to the comments above, it should be noted that the parts are distributed from the top downwards, so 1 is the highest, then 2, 3, etc. The notorious fast passages appear almost exclusively in the first three horns, with some appearances in the fourth, a few in the fifth, and basically none in the other five parts. The tuba part is optional as it mostly doubles the 10th horn.
The tempo is indicated as crotchet (quarter note) equals 108, which is, understandably, considerably lower than the original tempo. Also, the original key of B flat major was simply copied into horn pitch (so the transcription is in E flat major sounding pitch). To further simplify the arrangement, the characteristic seventh leap in the 2nd bar of the theme was modified (put an octave higher), so it is a simple scale.
All of this does not really make it that much easier to play, especially for the first player. Then again, taking the first part out of the mix, the rating would have been difficult rather than very difficult. The number of players chosen (10), guarantees a lot of rests in each part (5 would have been enough for a literal transcription).
Overall this is an excellent arrangement, and with a strong first player who possesses facility in the high range, this can be an impressive piece to include in a concert performance, or just play, as James Emerson suggests, for fun.