Hermann Neuling - Etudes

Perhaps the most well known low horn etudes available are the two books that make up the 30 Spezial-Etüden für tiefes Horn by Hermann Neuling (1897-1967).[i] These challenging etudes are all between one and two pages long, written using the treble clef and old notation bass clef, and requiring good flexibility across a range that extends well beyond three octaves from pedal F up to high b flat’’. Flexibility, articulation and dynamics are the real challenges in these etudes, with flowing runs of scales and arpeggios contrasted by wide intervals and lyrical etudes by highly articulated ones that really challenge note production and clarity in the lower register. This is in addition to loud playing in the lower register, rapid dynamic shifts and the frequent use of hand stopping throughout the entire range. Despite the etudes being written without a key signature they are quite complex musically and also constantly modulating, and this results in a continuous stream of accidentals that are not always clearly printed.[ii] Much like the famed Bagatelle für tiefes Horn und Klavier by Neuling,[iii] these etudes are both loved and despised by horn players due to their difficult and somewhat quirky nature.

Less well-known are the 18 Studien für Horn mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der tiefen Lage by Neuling.[iv] Although being shorter in duration and somewhat simpler technically,[v] these eighteen studies share many similarities with the previously discussed work, including the frequent use of wide intervals, large dynamic contrasts and their modern musical language. The player’s agility is certainly tested in both lyrical and articulated studies that cover a similarly wide range to the 30 Spezial-Etüden für tiefes Horn. They also frequently use old notation bass clef and lack key signatures, however various transpositions are suggested in this work, which does not happen in the 30 Spezial-Etüden für tiefes Horn.[vi] Hand stopping is not required to the same extent in this work as it is only included in a couple of studies, it is however still utilised in the lower register. The combination of these factors makes this volume of studies quite approachable and yet still reasonably challenging, and therefore they should prove beneficial in the development of the low horn skill set. They could certainly be used prior to Neuling’s 30 Spezial-Etüden für tiefes Horn, or to develop strength prior to attempting longer etudes.

Some valuable low horn exercises can also be found in Neuling’s method, the Grosse F und B Hornschule: für den Elementar Unterricht mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Schulung des Gehörs und der rhythmischen Empfindung,[vii] which also contains a relatively long introduction text that covers many aspects of playing the horn. Although the low register is clearly not the focus of this work, it is employed in some challenging ways, following the introduction of the bass clef in lesson eighteen.[viii] Simple flexibility drills across the harmonic series of both the F and B flat sides of the horn are frequently included, as well as many exercises based on mixed intervals, scales and arpeggios, using different articulation patterns and rhythms. Octave leaps are often featured, and form the basis of more challenging exercises.[ix]

[i] Hermann Neuling, 30 Spezial-Etüden für tiefes Horn 2 vols. (Leipzig: Pro Musica Verlag, 1951). Hermann Neuling, 30 Special Studies for Low Horn (qPress, 2018).
[ii] In general the accidentals carry through the whole bar regardless of octave, however this is not always the case. Enharmonic shifts are also quite regular.
[iii] Hermann Neuling, Bagatelle für tiefes Horn und Klavier (Leipzig: Pro Musica Verlag, 1956).
[iv] Hermann Neuling, 18 Studien für Horn mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der tiefen Lage Ed. Hans Pizka (Kirchheim: Hans Pizka Edition, 1986). Hermann Neuling, 18 Studies for Low Horn (qPress, 2018).
[v] All of the studies are between half a page and a full page in length. Some of the material is awkward or atonal in nature, and therefore there are still some quite complex moments musically.
[vi] The range extends from written low F# up to high b flat’’, although the actual pitches will be altered by transposition. Written high c’’’ is also included for horn in D, in studies No.16 and No.17.
[vii] Hermann Neuling, Grosse F und B Hornschule: für den Elementar Unterricht mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Schulung des Gehörs und der rhythmischen Empfindung 2 Vols. (Leipzig: Pro Musica Verlag, 1951).
[viii] Prior to this the range has been extended gradually from its starting point of g to c’’. From Lesson 18 the range extends to a full three octaves, from low B flat up to high c’’’. The highest notes are often optional. Most of the exercises are quite short, with only one extending beyond a page in length.
[ix] The work also includes several duets, and concludes with a number of orchestral excerpts.