Horn 1: b - c3
Horn 2: g - bb2
Horn 3: eb - a2
Horn 4: B - f2
Horn 5: G - f2
Horn 6: C - gb1
Creator's Comments
Performance Notes
The mid 1830's were of great importance in Mendelssohn's life, with an appointment to the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 1935, and the premiere of his oratorio Paulus (see arrangement of the overture) in 1936. During these years, starting from as early as 1833, the Three preludes and fugues op.37 were devised, and remained, together with the Six sonatas op.65, the primary organ works of his entire output.
The whole of op.37 is dedicated to Thomas Attwood, an organist, friend of Mendelssohn's from England. The inspiration, as would be expected, came from Bach's works, and this can be heard throughout in the first prelude. The chords are far apart, with the beginning motif unfolding on top, first in a single line, but then developing more contrapuntal lines as the voices start interacting.
As is quite usual for Lynsdale-Nock, the key of the original has been transposed into horn pitch, so C minor becomes C minor in horn pitch (F minor sounding pitch). The resulting range is very convenient, even though slightly high on occasion (especially when the fast passages are traded between two players).
The division of parts is interesting, with a straight forward top to bottom (high to low) distribution. So instead of, say, Adam Walters' 1-3-5-2-4-6, Lynsdale-Nock uses 1-2-3-4-5-6. At the beginning this results in melody in the first two horns and chords in the rest, which is somewhat re-ordered in the middle section, however remains the basis for the whole prelude.
From a technical point of view there are several challenges. First and foremost the fast tempo, which in combination with the continuous semiquaver (eighth note) motif creates some awkward moment. Then there are frequent octave (and seventh) leaps, both tongued and slurred, a fair number of accidentals (we are in a minor key after all), broken chord figures, largely independent voices, and quite high passages: no doubt ideal for an advanced ensemble.
On the down side, sometimes the voice distribution is a bit inconsistent, with varying numbers of beats / bars in each voice, resulting in a slightly uneven feeling in performance. It may also be necessary to have a conductor on hand, as this is one of those works where losing count generally equals no chance to find back in. And while the oarts are in excellent presentaiton, the score has too large staffs, so only about three bars fit in one line.
As far as music for six horns goes though, this is a very welcome addition to the repertoire requiring virtuoso playing, solid intonation, counting skills, flexibility, legato technique, stylistic awareness and an advanced ability to play in the ensemble.
Credits
Provision of review score: John Lynsdale-Nock (Corniworld)