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Here you will find recommendations on some
great books for further study on
the horn and horn playing

Anthony Baines, Brass Instruments
     Dover 0-486-27574-4
"An excellent all around text on the development of brass instruments in Western music," says Christopher Cornette, who suggested the addition of this text to the Library. "I believe any comprehensive look at the horn must include information (on) its siblings, conical or cylindrical, as their histories are closely interwoven. Mr. Baines provides this outlook quite well in his book."

Bernhard Brüchle, Horn Bibliographie I, II, III
     Heinrichshofen Wilhelmshaven
A three volume set of everything published for the horn (before 1983). An excellent reference set.

Nancy Jordan Fako, Philip Farkas and His Horn - A Happy, Worthwhile Life
     Crescent Park Music

An inspiring book about one of the greatest horn players of the Twentieth Century.   Follow his life from childhood aspirations to the Chicago Symphony and beyond.   This is the remarkable story about a remarkable man who was a hornist, teacher, horn designer, author, and a loving sensitive human being whose life demonstrated meticulous and conscientious attention to "doing everything right."

Philip Farkas, The Art of French Horn Playing
     Summy-Birchard Publishing Company
Barry Tuckwell calls this the "bible of horn players." A definite MUST for any aspiring horn player. Two other books of Mr. Farkas are also worth investigating: The Art of Brass Playing and The Art of Musicianship, both published by Wind Music, Inc.

Robin Gregory, The Horn
     Faber and Faber Limited
A very comprehensive book that is unfortunately out-of-print. Check your local library or used book store.

Douglas Hill,  Extended Techniques for the Horn, A Practical Handbook for Students, Performers and Composers  (CD Included)
     Studio 224, Warner Bros.ISBN  #29156 21884,  EL96105CD
Virtually all the sound possibilities for the horn are included in this one book, with clearly and concisely organized descriptions, notation and comments to both performers and composers of horn music. The sixty-five recorded examples on seventy-two tracks are essential for the student and performer to hear how the technique or effect should sound when properly played. This book demonstrates that the horn is the most versatile of all instruments.

Kurt Janetzsky and Bernard Brüchle, The Horn
     Amadeus Press
A beautifully illustrated book, translated to English by James Chater, that follows a pictorial evolution of the instrument from early times to the present day.

David M. Kaslow, Living Dangerously with the Horn
     Birdalone Music
Prof. Kaslow discusses the technical, psychological, emotional, physical, and spiritual foundations of music making. He looks at the general dynamics of fear, courage, awareness and life itself from refreshing perspectives. Great reading.

Dr. Irmtraud Tarr Krüger, Performance Power
     Summit Books
Transforming stress into creative energy. Krüger is a noted psychotherapist and concert musician. She helps us understand performance anxiety and the inner monsters that cause it. The book provides unique mental and physical exercises to overcome our subconscious fears of failure during performance.  Purchase this book

Michael Meckna, Twentieth Century Brass Soloists
     Greenwood Press
A great resource, Prof. Meckna profiles nearly one hundred of the finest brass soloists in the Western world. Included are such greats as trumpeters Maurice Andrè, Wynton Marsalis, Adolph Herseth, and Louis Armstrong; trombonists Arthur Pryor, Tommy Dorsey, Bill Watrous, and Christian Lindberg; and tuba players Harvey Phillips, Roger Bobo, and Arnold Jacobs. Twenty hornists are featured, including Barry Tuckwell, Dennis and Aubrey Brain, Hermann Baumann, Philip Farkas, Thomas Bacon, Frøydis Ree Wekre, Lowell Greer, and Douglas Hill. The book is fairly expensive, but you can probably find it in your school's music library (if it's not in your library, tell the librarian to get it!).

R. Morley-Pegge, The French Horn
     Philosophical Library, Inc.
Another comprehensive book that is unfortunately out-of-print, but check your local library or used book store.

Hans Pizka, Hornisten-Lexicon
     Hans Pizka Edition
An amazing compilation of horn facts and trivia: historical players and composers, horn terminology and much more. Must have. Dual texts in German and English.

Hans Pizka, Mozart and the Horn
     Hans Pizka Edition
A volume dedicated to an intense study of the Mozart horn concerti. Includes complete facsimile scores, edition comparisons, cadenzas of different horn soloists and many illustrations. Dual texts in German and English.

Paul Pritchard, The Business
     Copyright 1992, ISBN 0 9520626 0 7, no publisher indicated
Subtitled "The essential guide to starting and surviving as a professional horn player," this is a highly recommended compilation of five short essays by some of the top British horn players, with a foreword by Andre Previn, and introductions by Barry Tuckwell and Vladimir Ashkenazy. The Table of Contents pretty well sums it up: "Your First Professional Symphonic Date" by Jeffrey Bryant; "Opera and Ballet" by Julian Baker; "The Horn in the Studio" by John Pigneguy; "Solo Performance and Chamber Music" by Frank Lloyd; and "General Freelance Work" by Paul Pritchard. No publisher is credited in the book, but it has been available from Osmun Music, and Paxman.

Verne Reynolds, The Horn Handbook
     Amadeus Press; ISBN: 1574670166
The author is a musician, composer, teacher, and former professor of horn at the Eastman School of Music. The book presents a broad introduction to horn study, practice and performance, leading the player and teacher through the etude, solo, chamber and orchestral literature of the horn.  Also provided are examples of exercises for warm-up and for perfecting technique. A "must have" for horn students and teachers.

Willie Ruff, A Call to Assembly; The Autobiography of a Musical Storyteller
     Viking Books; ISBN: 0670838004
A great book about a great musical artist, jazz horn (and bass) player, teacher, adventurer, and former student of Paul Hindemith.  Wonderfully written, hard to put down.

Gunther Schuller, Horn Technique
     Oxford University Press
Basic principles of horn artistry are covered, as well as advice to composers and a list of repertoire.

M. Dee Stewart, Philip Farkas - The Legacy of a Master
     The Instrumentalist Publishing Company
A nostalgic tribute to a master of the instrument, whose influence is felt throughout the horn world today.

Barry Tuckwell, Horn (Yehudi Menuhin Music Guides)
     MacDonald & Co. Ltd.
The internationally famed horn soloist (now retired) succinctly sums it all up with clear text, and nice illustrations: brief history, famous past hornists, the mechanics of the horn and also some tips for horn players.

Milan Yancich, An Orchestra Musician's Odyssey - A View from the Rear
     Wind Music Inc.
Anecdotal memoir that relates the author's long professional career and the lessons learned in the journey. In the words of William Scharnberg, in a review from the May, 1996 issue of the Horn Call: "Every music library should purchase a copy of this book and every horn player must read it!"

See also Ron Boerger's Homepage for a great online resource of horn info: an extensive FAQ assembled from the horn mailing list. It covers about every horn topic under the sun.

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