The Early Horn

The Mozarts - father Leopold and son Wolfgang Amadeus - bookend a virtuosic recital from Ursula Paludan Monberg, who traces the development of the natural horn as a solo instrument throughout the eighteenth century.

The hunting horn evolved in the seventeenth century as an accessory to a popular leisure activity for the aristocracy - the hunt. Its purpose during the chase was to signal unfolding events to people walking behind the mounted huntsmen; it was designed to be loud enough to project over considerable distance and over the barking of hunting hounds. From this rustic beginning, the horn underwent a remarkable process of taming and refinement over a few decades to become capable of being the featured musical instrument of chamber works in the eighteenth century, such as those recorded here. The music may still retain occasional references to its outdoor heritage in brief fanfares and hunting rhythms, but horn players achieved an ability to blend and balance with small groups of string instruments, harpsichord and woodwinds, with an emphasis on sweetness of tone, phrasing and articulation that would have been unanticipated a generation or so earlier. Not only was this a new sound-world for audiences of the eighteenth century, but it is now one that has become almost entirely neglected in the onward march of popular classical music, making this collection of works a pleasant reminder of the genre.