Horn 1: a1 - a2
Horn 2: g - e2
Horn 3: c 1- a2
Horn 4: e - d2
Horn 5: b - g2
Horn 6: e - b1
Horn 7: c - g1
Horn 8: Bb - f1
Creator's Comments
“Le son du cor” was composed by Arne Oldberg, Professor Emeritus of Piano and composition at Northwestern University. He inscribed on the score: “For my friend Mr. Max Pottag, May 1947”. In addition to serving on the Northwestern faculty from 1897 until his retirement in 1941, Mr. Oldberg was very active in the cultural life of the Chicago area. He composed six symphonies, concerti for piano, violin, and horn, and some twenty other orchestral works, as well as sonatas and other works for piano.
Performance Notes
Le son du cor feels more like an allegretto in 6/8 then 3/4, as most of the rhythmic figures are triplet or dotted triplets, rather than figures in 2. The eight horns are organised in sections of two, descending in tessitura. This means the 7th horn is higher than the 8th, but lower than the 5th (and even 6th on occasion).
The difficulty mainly stems from the high parts, with extended playing around a2 for horn 1 and 3, and not all that many rests. The harmonies are romantic, with a starting and ending key of C major. This is a very affordable work for eight horns that would make a good addition to any concert program.