Horn 1: d1 - ab2
Horn 2: B - g2
Horn 3: a - g2
Horn 4: A - c2
Horn 5: g - g2
Horn 6: G - b1
Horn 7: bb - c3
Horn 8: G - g2
Creator's Comments
Performance Notes
There are quite a few arrangements of the opening of Humperdinck’s opera Hansel und Gretel in print, the most famous one being Payne’s and Reif’s as featured on the London Horn Sound and the original Vienna Horns CDs, respectively. This is a much earlier transcription of just the opening chorale and the same chorale at the very end of the overture.
The arrangement is in the original key, with horns 1-4 playing the horn parts, and 5-8 representing the rest of the orchestra. At the end the parts are all mixed. The distribution is somewhat curious, with horn 7 playing the highest, and in general all parts having quite an extended range. On the other side, this is what makes this version interesting to the advanced horn ensemble, demanding more than a straight-forward play through.
If a shorter version of the Hansel and Gretel overture is required, about 2 minutes in length and with interesting parts, this is the edition to seek out.