The natural horn is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few techniques:
- Modulating the lip tension as done with modern brass instruments. This allows for notes in the harmonic series to be played.
- Changing the length of the instrument by switching the crooks. This is a rather slow process. Before the advent of the modern valved horn many ideas were attempted to speed up the process of changing the key of the instrument.
- Changing the position of the hand in the bell; this is called hand-stopping.
This instrument was used extensively until the emergence of the valved horn in the early 19th century.
Read more about Natural Horn: Handhorn Technique, Repertoire, Natural Horn and The Modern Horn
Famous quotes containing the words natural and/or horn:
“Unto a life which I call natural I would gladly follow even a will-o’-the-wisp through bogs and sloughs unimaginable, but no moon nor firefly has shown me the causeway to it.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The hounding of a dog pursuing a fox or other animal in the horizon may have first suggested the notes of the hunting-horn to alternate with and relieve the lungs of the dog. This natural bugle long resounded in the woods of the ancient world before the horn was invented.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)