A4, Score (18) & parts (8x4=32, plus tuba, 4, total=36)
Horns
8
Additional Equipment
Straight mutes
Others
1
Other Instruments
Tuba
Difficulty
2
Duration
9
Structure / Movements
One movement.
Sostenuto ma non troppo - Allegro - Allegro con brio
Clefs
Treble, bass
Meters
3/2, 3/4, C
Key signatures
None (but key is F minor / major, so 4b in first part)
Range
Horn 1: a - c3
Horn 2: eb - f#2
Horn 3: f - g2
Horn 4: F# - c2
Horn 5: ab - a2
Horn 6: d - eb2
Horn 7: f - g2
Horn 8: F# - ab1
Creator's Comments
Performance Notes
Egmont op.84 is the incidental music to the play by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, written in 1787. Beethoven composed the set of ten pieces for soprano and orchestra between 1809 and 1810, and like his only opera Fidelio uses the occasion to make his political and social views known. The overture is considered one of his last works of the middle period, and similar in style to the fifth symphony.
Alan Civil is a known name in the world of horn playing. Being by a famous English orchestral player and soloist, this arrangement shows all the trademarks of years of experience: it is in the original key, all the parts are playable, every entry has the length of a phrase of rhythmic motif, there are rests as necessary, and the distribution of parts follows the orchestral model (1-3-2-4). This goes so far as to pair horns 1-5, 2-6, 3-7 and 4-8 in the score. The tuba, finally, does not double the low horns, but adds something to the mix.
All that said, the only thing left to do is to order a copy of this marvelous arrangement, and enjoy one of Beethoven’s finest and most exciting works.