7 French horn Concertos YOU Should Listen to this Week

The French horn is one of the most versatile instruments. It can have a dark and evil sound, or an incredibly light and good sound. This week, I've decided to continue my concerto series with 7 horn concertos. I am excited because as many of you may know, I am a hornist. Here are 7 French horn Concertos YOU Should Listen to this Week:

7. Concerto for 2 horns, strings & b.c. in F major - Antonio Vivaldi

We are yet again kicking off a list with a piece by the concerto king, Vivaldi. This piece sounds like nobility music, and presents a sound using the horn that I have rarely heard. Not only does it utilize the French horn to create a unique style, but this piece uses two French horns that interact and develop with each other. Vivaldi was very good at utilizing each instrument in a way that demonstrates the skill of the composer, and the range of the instrument, while still maintaining an element of entertainment.

6. Horn Concerto No 2 in D Major - Joseph Haydn

This concerto by Haydn is definitely one of the more subtle uses of the horn. I think it is rather funny how every now and then Haydn has the horn belt a lower note because I recently learned from my teacher that he had a sense of humor, and usually if he had a belted low note out of nowhere, it was meant as a bathroom joke. Anyone who says that the classical composers were all strict and no fun is misguided.

5. Horn Concerto no. 2 - Richard Strauss

This horn concerto is quite expressive. I have often noticed that Strauss seems to reserve places in his music specifically for horn, and this is because his father was a hornist in a local orchestra. I think Strauss' father introduced him to the beauty that the horn can illuminate in the hands of a master, and Strauss wrote specifically for that effect. I will say that of the two horn concertos, I think this one relies more on the horn than the first concerto does. This piece is average speed, and makes me think of floating in a boat on a pond going fishing.

4. Konzertstück for Four Horns and Orchestra - Robert Schumann

It is incredible how well Schumann wrote these horn parts. It is almost as if they build on top of each other, one horn will start something and each one will join in to create emphasis. This whole piece sounds triumphant, and makes me think of an army marching the countryside. They are not actually fighting, so they feel confident and strong!

3. Horn Concerto no. 1 in D Major - Joseph Haydn

This concerto (unlike the second) has an orchestra for accompaniment. Haydn seems to rely more on the orchestra than the horn in this concerto. Often, it seems like the strings start themes, then the horn picks it up and develops it, and the strings end it. This could be because Haydn wrote this earlier than the second concerto, so he was inexperienced with the horn.

2. Horn Concerto no. 4 in E Flat Major - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

This is one of the richest horn concertos I have heard. The third movement is especially exciting, and the whole piece makes me feel excited and inspired. You can tell this is by Mozart almost right away. Mozart truly was a genius, he probably had the most horn concertos of any composer on this list, and his concertos definitely utilize the horn in a way that some composers never utilize it in.

1. Horn Concerto no. 1 - Richard Strauss

As I mentioned about Strauss earlier, his father played horn, making his use of the horn quite distinct. You will notice in this piece that the French horn conveys a tender and subtle yet subjective sound. There is no doubt in my mind that Strauss had an understanding of the horn that very few composers have replicated. Here is Strauss' first horn concerto:

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7 French horn Concertos YOU Should Listen to this Week

Thanks for reading this! Make sure to comment which of these concertos was your favorite. Also, I hope to eventually have more people posting weekly7's but with different topics, like I will almost always stick to classical music/music in general, so it would be great to see other people post weekly7s. Make sure to leave feedback and check back later!

Also remember to check for: My weekly 7 post, As Well As My Composer Birthday Posts
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