Abstract:

Brass musical instruments, unlike woodwinds, have complicated shapes: a cup-shaped mouthpiece, a conical leadpipe, a cylindrical valve section, and a flared bell. A trumpet will be built, allowing the acoustical significance of these parts to be demonstrated. It will be shown why brasses rely on valves to get different notes, unlike woodwinds, which use side holes. Before the invention of the valve, hornplayers learned to augment their meager supply of open notes by changing the position of the hand in the bell. Although the modern horn uses valves, the right hand remains important. The acoustical and musical significance of the hand will be explained and demonstrated. The talk concludes with a performance of Beethoven's Sonata for Horn and Piano, Op. 17, performed on a valveless horn similar to those in use in Beethoven's time.