12 movements:
I Andante
II Allegro assai
III Maestoso (Marcia funebra)
IV Allegretto con moto (Pastorale)
V Allegro vivo
VI Adagio, mi mineur
VII Allegretto alla Russia
VIII Andantino berceuse, la mineur
IX Allegro maestoso, la mineur
X Allegretto alla polacca
XI Allegro pas redouble
XII Andantino con moto e marcato
Clefs
Treble, bass (old notation)
Meters
C, 2/4, 3/4, 6/8
Key signatures
2b, 1b, None, 1#, 4#, 3b
Range
Horn 1: g - a2
Horn 2: g - a2
Horn 3: g (opt. f) - g2
Horn 4: C - d2
Creator's Comments
Performance Notes
Featured under the name A. J. Artot (presumably Alexandre Joseph Artot), it is more likely this work was written by Jean Desire Artot, horn player, teacher and composer in Brussels, Belgium in the late 17th century. Alexandre Joseph, on the other hand, was a violinist, which makes it somewhat unlikely he would have had the inclination to write the Twelve quartettes for four horns and cornets. The recording of the 11th quartet by the Detmolder Horn Quartet also lists Jean Desire as the composer.
The style of writing is similar to Dauprat and Gallay, with quite interesting first and second horn parts, a slightly less exciting third, and only occasional movement in the fourth. The movements alternate between slow and fast, with inevitably some more interesting than the others. The recorded no.11 is one of the highlights of the collection.
The edition is a combination of horn and cornet parts, with an indication of parts 1-4 in B flat, and a large number of alternate octave displacements in the fourth part. The score on the other hand does not specify the transposition, so it can be used for either instrument. So in reality, even though not marked, the parts are both in B flat (for the cornets) and F (for the horns).
At present the printing of this work has been discontinued by Carl Fischer, so the best option to obtain a copy is to check one of the local music libraries. With the remote copyright date of 1929, it is both legal and recommended to get a copy until a publisher decides to print it again.