Stephen Lawson

          There are various types of natural horns available to modern performers.  Among these are: trompe de chasse, or cor de chasse (hunting horns), Baroque horns, Classical horns and “Valvectomy” horns.  Among these are horns that may be hundreds of years old, and reproductions.  
          Trompe de chasse are made at a fixed pitch.  They are generally pitched in D, at A = 430 Hz.  There is neither tuning mechanism, nor means to change keys.  These are primarily signal instruments and are played without inserting a hand into the bell.  There are modern makers, and many clubs that still perform on these instruments.  They are quite popular in Europe for fall festivals and hunt related performances.  Traditionally, the bells are painted black, so as to not cause horses to shy from a bright reflection.  The traditional manner of performance is with one hand holding the mouthpiece inserted section, as the horn is draped across one’s forearm.  In large ensembles, half will drape across their right arm and half across their left.  They will stand in a “V” pattern, as geese flying, with backs towards the audience.  The bore size is very small and a modern horn mouthpiece will not fit.  The brilliant sound is joyous and raucous.  Do a Youtube search for “trompe de chasse” and enjoy performances rarely heard in the United States.  Music in two and three parts is common and usually associated with hunt themes.  Though high F’s and A’s are written, there is no attempt to tune these pitches with one’s hand.  Since these instruments are not generally performed with other instruments, the resulting effect actually works better than you might imagine. 
           Baroque horns made as reproductions are from historical instruments measured in fine detail.  Typically, there is one terminal crook in G, into which one inserts a mouthpiece.  Other keys are established by adding couplers between the terminal crook and the body of the horn.  As there is not a tuning slide, fine tuning of intonation is done by adding bits (short pieces of tubing) between the terminal crook and the mouthpiece.  Again, the modern pitch standard for a Baroque horn is A = 415 Hz.  For practical purposes, it may be necessary to perform at A = 440.  Transposing, by using a crook that is one half-step lower, allows this possibility.  Some bells are enamel painted. 
            A small controversy in the area of Baroque horns is the addition of vent holes.  These are holes that, when opened, allow one to play F# (the 11th harmonic) and A (13th harmonic) in tune with no degradation of the open timbre. This is a great idea, except that there are no surviving instruments from the Baroque period that have vent holes.  It is possible that horn players used their hands in the bell to adjust pitches as early as the 1720’s and quickly adopted Anton Hampel’s hand stopping technique by the 1750’s.  It is possible that mouthpieces allowed one to bend or “lip” notes in tune.  There are paintings of horn players holding their instruments with the bell pointed skyward.  This suggests that for some, using the hand in the bell was not possible.  Perhaps Baroque period audiences accepted a certain variability in intonation from horns, which a modern audience would find difficult to accept.  It is an accommodation that is up to individual performers to decide a solution.  If you use vent holes, audiences will appreciate the consistent bright tone and the unique position of holding the horn bell upward.  If you decide not to use them, you can play with the same hand techniques of Classical horns, though there is not strong evidence of their use prior to the Hampel method, and the tone will be darker.  
          Classical horns are also known as: Inventionshorns, and this era is sometimes called the Age of Invention.  The invention in this case is the tuning slide.  Two types of horns were made during this time: orchestra horn and solo horn.  The orchestra horn had a variety of terminal crooks for the solo keys: F, E, E flat and D and couplers added to get to keys of C and B flat.  Shorter crooks could be added for keys of G, A and B flat alto and C alto in orchestra and opera performances.  A tuning slide allows for fine tuning within keys.  Having a long enough tuning slide allows one to perform either at A = 430 Hz or 440 Hz.  If crooks are properly fit to the horn, there is very little wobble of the crooks.  Slight pressure and a light twist secure them in place, much as placing a mouthpiece in a modern horn.  The solo horn has interior crooks that serve both as a key changing device and fine tuning slide.  Typically, these only serve the solo keys (F, E, E Flat and D), and are more ornate.  As the crooks are secure on both ends, like a tuning slide, there is no wobble.  In selecting one of these horns, determine how you are most likely to use it.  As with Baroque horns, horn builders have meticulously measured historical instruments to create the horns that they produce.  Solo horns often have very ornately painted bells, while orchestra horns are often left to develop a rich patina. 
            Valvectomy horns are horns that started their lives as valve horns and had the valve section removed.  There are versions that have interior crooks and those with terminal crooks.  There are many versions.  Some work very well as Bohemian horns of the Classical era.  If you are attempting to make one of your own, choose a horn with a small to medium bell taper.  The flared bell effect is different for horns with large bells.  Ending nodal points are spaced more widely in larger bells.  For the modern performer, this often improves the “slotting” or accuracy of feeling various partials in the overtone series and give a very large sound, explaining why many modern performers prefer them.  When trying to play these large bell tapers using hand horn techniques, the variability in hand positions is greater.  This is because the flared bell effect is negated when stopped or half-stopped, as the ending nodal point becomes the hand.  
            A question that one considers in seeking a natural horn, is whether to purchase a historic horn that is, likely, more than 200 years old, or to purchase a reproduction.  Unlike woodwind and string instruments that may suffer from cracks, wood rot, termites or other forms of deterioration, brass instruments can survive pretty well for hundreds of years if treated with care.  Searching the internet may reveal a historic instrument with a pedigree of having been made by a noted maker.  If there are neither cracks nor creases in the metal, and all of the crooks and couplers fit well, you may have found a useable horn.  Minor surface dings may not affect the performance quality of the horn.  With an old instrument, one expects that time has left a few wrinkles.  There is little about a brass instrument that can’t be repaired.  Patches are unfortunate blemishes, but can preserve the life of a good horn.  Unfortunately, historic horns do not come on the market that often, or at least when one is ready to buy .  
            Historic reproductions by experienced horn makers are an excellent source of high quality instruments.  They have measured historic instruments in museums and collections and/or have used actual patterns from early makers.  Most makers are very willing to work with you to ensure that you are getting an instrument that suits your situation.  The down side is that there is usually a one to three year wait for receiving your horn.  Historical reproduction horns occasionally come on the market as used horns, as horn teachers and performers retire and divest themselves of their collections.  If you encounter such a horn, it has probably received excellent care. 
            While waiting for your horn to be made, or to find a useable historic horn, a Valvectomy horn may suit your needs to get started.  Visit your local brass repair person and elicit their help in your project.  They may have an old single F horn that they have stripped for parts and would be willing to sell the remains.  Many have found that a valvectomy horn served their needs, budget, and that their interest in historical period horn performance was satisfied. 
            Another possibility is one of the natural horns found on the internet.  As there are no valves involved, there is little fear of mechanical instability.  Some of these horns are offered with crooks in the keys of:  A, G, F, E, and D. All are terminal crooks that connect mouthpiece to the body of the horn.  Notice that there is no E flat crook and no coupler to get to that key.  As there is a lot of music for horn written in E flat, they are limited in that regard.  If you look further you can find some offered with an additional E flat crook.  Many have a nicely painted bell and appear to be lacquered.  Others have been “antiqued” to look as though they are historic instruments.  They come with a case and mouthpiece for around $500 -$650, which is a pretty good price to get started.  A valvectomy horn could easily cost this much in parts and labor, without a case. 
           I have tried several models including horns by Wessex, Berkeley and Nautilus and found them to be functional and fun to play, though quirky in some aspects.  However, price and availability make these an excellent choice for many.