DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

428 HORN HOEN
series, the exact agreement between the notes
obtained and this series depending chiefly
upon tlie precise internal form of the horn.
Other things being equal, the better the intonation
of the horn, the greater is the ease of
blowing, and the greater its carrying power ;
it is, therefore, not unreasonable to suppose
tliat the more powerful horns would be particu-
larly prized, and men's ears w'ould become accustomed
to the true intervals of the common
chord. The gradual evolution of the best
signalling instrument is, therefore, closely connected
with music itself. This power of giving
the common chord cannot be realised, however,
on very short horns, and the instrument must
be from three to four feet long for the first six
harmonics. These, on a horn of about four feet
long, are c, c', (/', c", e", g"
Horns of metal (see BucciXA, CoRSu) were
used in the Roman armies, and also by the
Greeks and other more ancient nations. Large
war - horns (somewhat improperly called
trumpets) were also used by the Norsemen,
and drawings of interesting specimens of these
are given in Du Chaillu's work. The ViMng Age.
Coming to medieval times, we find the bugle
carried by knights was often made of ivory,
richly carved, and known as the ' oliphant, ' and
various forms of forester's or hunting horns
were in use. There were also Burginote horns,
the property of town corporations, and horns
used for transferring inheritances in connection
with feudal proprietorship.
From these various instruments used either
in war, in the chase, or for purely ceremonial
purposes, our modern horns have grown.
These may be grouped under three heads :
1st, Simple horns for signalling and such-like
purposes ; 2nd, Saxhorns, used chiefly in
military and brass bands ; and 3rd, The
orchestral or French horn, the most refined and
delicate instrument of the ' ' horn group.
1st. Simple Horns. — The ordinary foxhunter's
horn agi-ees most closely with a natural
horn, but it has no musical value. Longer
than this, are the various post- and coach-horns,
on the best of which bugle-calls can be given.
The military Bugle {q.r.) ranks in this group.
The post-horn in A has been introduced by
Kooning into his well-known post-horn galop.
2nd. Saxhorns. — As these instruments are
described under their name, it will be sufficient
to state here, that they are essentially bugles
made in various keys and embracing a compass
extending from about one octave below the
lowest notes of the bass voice to the highest
notes of the soprano, their total range being
thus about one octave more than that of the
human voice. It is by the introduction of the
Valve (q.r.) that these instruments stand
differentiated from the simple horns described
in the first group.
3rd. The Orchestral or French Horn.—This
instrument in its most simple form, that is,
without valves, is the outcome of the longer
horns used in hunting. The short horns or
bugles were by degrees lengthened, the bore
reduced in diameter, and the inconvenience of
a long horn, especially on horseback, obviated
by bending the instruments into one or more
circular turns. In this form it is easily carried
over the shoulder, and is known as the Cor de
chasse or "Waldhorn. It is difficult to say at
what precise date this horn superseded the more
ancient cornet, of wood, horn, or ivory, which
was more akin to the bugle, and it is probable
that all were used contemporaneously. Special
hunting calls and fanfares in four and five distinct
parts for horns in F as used by the huntsmen of
the German princes are extant, and the gradual
development of the instrument in France may
be gatliered from the following notes.]
Louis XI. of France ordered the statue on his
tomb to be dressed in the costume of a hunter
with his cornet at his side. Dufouilloux dedicated
a treatise on Venery to Charles IX., who
had himself written a similar work. He therein
praises the cornet, and imitates its sound by the
word tran. In the woodcuts contained in his
work, and in pictures of Louis XL's projected
monument, the cornet appears to have only a
single ring or spiral ; being thus competent to
produce only a fe'w notes. In the edition of
Dufouilloux published in 1628, however, the
king and his lords are represented as having
cornets with a second half-circle in the middle.
Louis XIII., who was extremely fond of hunting
the fox, invented a call, to distinguish that
animal, containing several different notes, which
show that for their proper intonation the instrument
itself must have made progress, and
increased in length. Louis XV., however, and
his master of the hunt, M. de Dampierre, composed
and selected the greater number of calls
and fanfares used in the royal hunt, which
are still employed up to the present time.
Three kinds of hunting airs are to be made
out. (1) Calls (t.ons de chasse), of which there
are about thirty-one. These are intended to
cheer on the hounds, to give warning, to call
for aid, and to indicate the circumstances of the
hunt. (2) Fanfares, of which there is one for
each animal, and several for the stag, according
to his age and antlers. (3) Fancy airs performed
as signs of joy or after a successful hunting.
The best-known calls are the Eiveillee, the
Lane^ and Relanct ; the Hourvari, or default
the Debudii ;
the Voleelest (when the fresh footmark
of the animal is found) ; the Halali, and
the Mart. Of fanfares there are the Eoyale,
sounded for a stag of ten points—invented by
Louis XV. ; the petite Eoyale, sounded for the
wild boar ; various others distinguishing the
wolf, fox, weasel, and hare ; and the Fanfare
de St. Hubert, as the patron saint of hunting,
only sounded on his day. (3) The third series