Horn – Sheet Music, Tuition & Scores

"Never let the horns out of your sight; if you can hear them at all, they are too loud." Richard Strauss

Luckily not everyone thinks like Strauss, thank goodness! Browse our sheet music, tuition books & scores, and whether you are after Horn for Beginners, Jazz Horn, or Concert Pieces for Horn, we have a wide range of styles and genres, and there’s something for everybody!

A brief history of the Horn

The horn is a brass instrument used primarily in classical music. It is often referred to as the French horn or ’corno’ in orchestral repertoire. Historically, people used animal horns to call to one and other, and they soon started replicating this natural design out of metal, creating the first Hunting Horns, and Natural Horns. These horns had no valves, and played only natural tones.

In the 16th Century, horns were first developed into musical instruments. Although there were many permutations of the horn throughout music history, the design we recognise today has a funnel mouthpiece, valves, and a wide-ranging bell. Did you know that if you straightened out the horn, it would stretch to almost four meters?

Orchestral Music, Chamber Music & Solo Works

The horn was used very differently, depending on its stage of development, and the era. It ranges from hunting motifs in the Baroque and Classical periods, to long, melodic phrases in the late Romantic period. At that time, Gustav Mahler, Anton Bruckner, Richard Wagner and above all Richard Strauss wrote much more complex parts for the horn, and they wrote for up to 12 horns in their orchestral works.

As a chamber instrument, the horn not only plays a big role within brass ensembles, but is often paired up with woodwind and string ensembles, to give depth and warmth to the sound. A few famous examples are the Telemann Concerto a Tre for Horn, Recorder & Basso Continuo, the Brahms Trio for Horn, Violin & Piano and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings.

As a solo instrument, among the most famous works are Handel’s Horn Concertos, Mozart’s Horn Concertos and Richard Strauss’ Concertos for Horn.

Have a hunt through these links for horn

• Horn Tuition, Schools & Methods
• Horn Tuition for Children
• Études & Studies for Horn
• Embouchure & Tone Production for Horn
• Orchestral Studies for Horn
• Film Music for Horn
• Pop Music for Horn
• Horn Sheet Music Downloads