Bells & Horns

The horn (informally known also as the French horn) is a brass instrument descended from the natural horn that consists of about 12 feet (for a single horn in the key of F) of mostly conical tubing (like the tuba or euphonium), wrapped into a compact, coiled form with a flared bell. more...

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Most horns have finger-operated rotary valves (a horn without valves is known as a natural horn, and some horns, such as the Vienna horn, use piston valve). A single horn, which will usually be tuned to either F or, less commonly, B-flat, has three rotary valves; the more common double horn has two sets of tubing (generally F and B-flat) and a fourth valve, operated by the thumb, which routes the air flow to one or other set. Triple horns, with five valves, are also made, tuned in F, B-flat, and a descant F (one octave above the lower F).

A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player or hornist (less frequently used term). (The International Horn Society has recommended since 1971 that the instrument itself be properly referred to solely as the horn.)

General characteristics

The single horn is usually pitched in the key of F, although smaller instruments (for children or for specific professional uses) may be pitched in B-flat. Compared to the other brass instruments in the orchestra, it has a very different mouthpiece, but has the widest usable range - approximately four octaves, depending on the ability of the player. To produce different notes on the horn, one must do many things - the three most important are pressing the valves, producing the appropriate amount of lip tension, and blowing air into the instrument. More lip tension and faster air produces higher notes. Less lip tension and slower air produces lower notes. The horn plays in a higher portion of its overtone series as compared to most brass instruments. Its conical bore (as opposed to the cylindrical bore of the trumpet or trombone) is largely responsible for its characteristic tone, often described as \"mellow\".

Today, music for the horn is typically written in F (or sometimes, notably in British bands, in E-flat), and sounds a perfect fifth lower than written (or a major sixth lower for the E-flat horn). The limitations on the range of the instrument are primarily governed by the available valve combinations for the first four octaves of the overtone series and after that by the ability of the player to control the pitch through their air supply and embouchure. The typical written ranges for the horn start at either the F-sharp immediately below the bass clef or the C an octave below middle C.

The standard range starting from a low F-sharp is based on the characteristics of the single horn in F. However, there is a great deal of music written beyond this range on the assumption that players are using a double horn in F/B-flat. This is the standard orchestral instrument and its valve combinations allow for the production of every chromatic tone from two octaves on either side of the horn's written middle-C (sounding F two octaves below the bass clef to F at the top of the treble clef). Although the upper range of the horn repertory rarely exceeds high C (two octaves above the horn's middle C, sounding F at the top of the treble clef), skilled players can achieve yet higher pitches.

Read more at Wikipedia.org