The first Horn Concerto, Op. 11, by Richard Strauss is one of the most notorious pieces in horn literature. The concerto was written in 1882 and is a standard example of the Romantic era. Strauss created both the piano and orchestral versions, with the orchestra score calling for solo horn, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings (Steinberg). The orchestral version was premiered on March 4, 1885.
Richard Struss’ father, Franz, was the principal horn player of the Munich Court Orchestra. So it is no surprise that Richard’s first concerti would be one that featured the horn. The Opus 11 horn concerto by Strauss is the only one of his concerti from that period that remains in the standard repertoire (Johnson). Richard’s Concerto is also reflects his father’s works for the horn. One of the most noticeable aspects of both …show more content…
With a heroic gesture, Example 3, Strauss changes the key to G minor, if only temporarily.
Example 3 Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 1, Opus 11, mvt 1, mm. 76-78. At mm. 76-78 Strauss when the key changes the key to G minor, Strauss then calls for the performer to play long legato lines at a softer dynamic at m. 84, which requires tremendous breath control. These long lines lead to a crescendo and the key of A-flat Major. The rhythm, which had been fairly slow and homogeneous, suddenly changes to a triplet theme, as seen in Example 4.
Example 4 Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 1, Opus 11, mvt 1, mm. 108-110 This triplet theme marks the beginning of the development section, and modulates constantly from G Major to B-flat Major. Then the theme returns to the home key of E-flat Major with another heroic gesture, Example 5, leading to the final ii-V-I chord progression.
Example 5 Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 1, Op. 11, mvt. 1, mm.
Richard Struss’ father, Franz, was the principal horn player of the Munich Court Orchestra. So it is no surprise that Richard’s first concerti would be one that featured the horn. The Opus 11 horn concerto by Strauss is the only one of his concerti from that period that remains in the standard repertoire (Johnson). Richard’s Concerto is also reflects his father’s works for the horn. One of the most noticeable aspects of both …show more content…
With a heroic gesture, Example 3, Strauss changes the key to G minor, if only temporarily.
Example 3 Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 1, Opus 11, mvt 1, mm. 76-78. At mm. 76-78 Strauss when the key changes the key to G minor, Strauss then calls for the performer to play long legato lines at a softer dynamic at m. 84, which requires tremendous breath control. These long lines lead to a crescendo and the key of A-flat Major. The rhythm, which had been fairly slow and homogeneous, suddenly changes to a triplet theme, as seen in Example 4.
Example 4 Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 1, Opus 11, mvt 1, mm. 108-110 This triplet theme marks the beginning of the development section, and modulates constantly from G Major to B-flat Major. Then the theme returns to the home key of E-flat Major with another heroic gesture, Example 5, leading to the final ii-V-I chord progression.
Example 5 Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 1, Op. 11, mvt. 1, mm.