24 Intermediate Lyrical Etudes for Horn
24 Intermediate Lyrical Etudes for horn was conceived from a desire to cultivate more lyrical playing among students. Lyrical etudes can be found sprinkled throughout other technically focused etude books, but usually far and few between. The etude books dedicated to lyrical playing are mostly borrowed from other editions or from vocalises. These intermediate etudes expand the available repertoire with an emphasis on idiomatic horn playing.
The horn repertoire is rich with lyrically minded passages from the middle movements of Mozart Concerti to the orchestral solos of the 19th century. There is no lack of repertoire that requires outstanding lyrical playing.
These etudes are written with certain parameters in mind, such as:
- Each etude is in a different major or minor key.
- The maximum leap is capped starting at a 4th and progressing to a 6th.
- Similarly, a limited number of time signatures are used.
The purpose of these limitations is to focus on training lyrical playing. There are no printed dynamics, but the performer should write in their own. This provides flexibility performing the etudes while also providing a window for instructors to see how their students think musically.
Each etude is accompanied by annotations highlighting specific musical elements to focus on or reminders on practice techniques.
Happy Practicing!
Dr. Layne Anspach