Review

Reviewed Work(s): Suite for Horn and Piano [1956] by Alec Wilder; Suite (Twelve Duets)
for Horn and Tuba [1978] by Alec Wilder; Horn Sonata [1983; rev. 1993] by Robert Baksa;
Horn! for Horn in F and Piano by Thomas Benjamin; Sonata for Horn and Piano by
Margaret Brouwer
Review by: Erin Mullen
Source: Notes, Second Series, Vol. 60, No. 3 (Mar., 2004), pp. 801-804
Published by: Music Library Association
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4487245
Accessed: 06-03-2020 02:13 UTC

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 Music Reviews 801

no. 7 in the first movement is an octave too

Offrande, and both works are invaluable
for understanding the development of
high, and rehearsal no. 4 is missing alto-
Messiaen's early style. Probably intended
gether from the second movement (it fol-
lows the "Rall. molto" on p. 22). for liturgical use (its five-minute duration is
Despite its shortcomings, the piano part
typical of other offertoires), the Offrande au
also includes a useful preface and a "suc-Saint Sacrement shares a melody similar to
cinct analysis of each piece," a feature ab-
one in Le banquet celeste (1928), as organist
sent from the widely disseminated 1952
Olivier Latry observes in the score's pref-
Durand/Elkan-Vogel folio score, but in-
ace. The strangest feature of the Offrande
cluded in the Durand/Presser edition is its taste for sequences of otherworldly
miniature score, also from 1952, and all length. Even with only fifteen rungs, these
subsequent reissues. The prefaces are not
Jacob's ladders are still too long and may
identical, however; the string section has
explain why Messiaen never published the
doubled in size since 1952 and the stagework. Though the left hand and pedal
setup has changed. Subtle changes to theparts are very easy, the right hand is busy
with constant sixteenth notes. The final ca-
dynamics, articulations, pedalings, and fin-
gerings appear throughout the piano part. dence effectively turns a tonic pedal on its
At the first "mon Amour" in the first move- ear.

ment, the metronome marking has in- Like the Offrande, the Prelude was d
creased from J = 44 to 50. Unfortunately ered by Loriod-Messiaen in 1997. (
for Messiaen, every recorded performance drawer? Was it finished and stampe
has taken this short cadential phrase moreMessiaen's normal imprimatur "Bo
than twice too slowly, with the exception Latry
of writes in his brief preface th
Roger Disormibre's premiere performance work dates from about 1929 and accu
on 21 April 1945 (Roger Disormiere enreg-
observes that its restlessness and virt
istrements 1939-1945, Collection Roger show the influence of Marcel Dupr6,
D6sormiere, 3, Lys 310 [1998], CD).do its dense, classically based counte
Similarly, the basic tempo of the second
and academic, uninspired thematic t
movement decreases from J = 160 to 144,formations. In the last system of the Pr
the texture conspicuously reduces to
perhaps in response to the way conductors
like Leonard Bernstein and Marcel gle melody that cleverly paraphras
Couraud have rushed throughthird the move-
measure of Debussy's Prilude ai
ment in the high 170s. The tempo of the
midi d'un faune, whose airiness has li
last movement increases from J = 100 with
common to Messiaen's ponderou
112. Similarly, discrepancieslude. appear be-
Both preludes make their argu
tween the revised version of Oiseaux exo- in a vague E major. The message seem
tiques, which has new tempos, and thebe that Messiaen had to go throug
avail-
able piano part, which retains the tempos
rigors of the conservatory in order t
of the original edition. the freedom of his idol Debussy. The P
The final publications under review are
contributes to the growing list of quo
the Offrande au Saint Sacrement and -from
the Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler,
Prelude, both written for organ no Dukas,
later and Dupr6-that were Mess
than the mid-1930s. Though neitherway,
workas hidden as his wife's, of reveali
maintains the ambitious standards set by
provenance of his music.
Messiaen's other organ works of the pe- ROBERT FAION

riod, the Prelude is far richer than the University of California, Berkeley

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

Centre, MA: Margun Music, c1996.

Alec Wilder. Suite for Horn and Piano
[About the composer, 1 p.; score, p.
[1956]. Newton Centre, MA: Margun
2-25;1 and 2d score. Pub. no. MM113.
Music, c1964. [About the composer,
Duration,
p.; score, p. 3-20; and part. Pub. no. 10 min. $15.]
MM111. Duration, 11 min. $16.]
Robert Baksa. Horn Sonata [1983; rev.
Alec Wilder. Suite (Twelve Duets) for 1993]. Bryn Mawr, PA: Composers
Horn and Tuba [1978]. Newton Library Editions; sole agent: Theodore

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All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms
 802 NOTES, March 2004

Presser Co., David Demsey

c1996. and Ronald Prather (Alec
[Scor
part. Pub. no. CLE-26; 494-02045. Wilder: A Bio-Bibliography, Bio-Bibliographies
$21.65.] in Music, 45 [Westport, CT: Greenwood
Press, 1993]) afford new insights into
Thomas Benjamin. Horn! for Horn Wilder's personality, compositional process,
in F and Piano. San Antonio, TX: and influences. In addition, his friend and
Southern Music Co., c1997. [Perfor- advocate Gunther Schuller, who founded

mance notes, composer biography, 1Margun Music (now under the auspices of
the Music Sales Group), has made much of
p.; score, p. 3-20; and part. Pub. no.Wilder's work commercially available.
SU343. $10.] Wilder willingly embraced what Schuller
calls "underdog" instruments (Stone, 112),
Margaret Brouwer. Sonata for Hornproducing a large and interesting corpus
and Piano. New York: Pembroke Music
of works for brass instruments that still has
Co., c2000. [Performance notes,no1 parallel.
p.; His great reputation among
score, p. 3-21; composer biography, p.players largely stems from his close
horn
22; music of M. Brouwer, p. 23; and
friendship with renowned hornist John R.
part. ISBN 0-8258-0767-0; pub. no. (1913-1974), a distinguished per-
Barrows
former and teacher who held posts with
PCB139. Duration, 15 min. $19.95.]
the Minneapolis Symphony, the Army Air
The French horn holds an important Forces Band, the New York City Opera, the
place in orchestral and chamber music, New York City Ballet, and the Casals
where composers consistently exploit its Orchestra, as well as teaching posi-
Festival
particular expressive qualities to great tionsef-
at Yale University, New York Uni-
fect. The solo repertoire for the horn, versity,
how- and the University of Wisconsin,
ever, remains small and of generally un- Barrows, who championed both
Madison.
classical and jazz horn, pressed Wilder to
even quality, with only a few works (notably
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert produce new works for his instrument-a
Schumann, Richard Strauss, and Paul demand to which Wilder, of course, acqui-
Hindemith) that engage musicians esced. and Over the ensuing years, Barrows re-
ceived many new horn works, including
audiences at large. In an aggressive attempt
to increase the quality and quantity of three
solo large sonatas and a wide variety of
horn writing, the International Horn shorter pieces that have become standard
Society (IHS) commissions works, maintains repertoire for the horn, and essential to
an assistance fund to help hornists fund any serious horn performance collection.
their own commissions, and holds composi- For his part, Wilder was also profoundly in-
tion competitions. These initiatives, along fluenced by the partnership, noting "no
with the more personal endeavors of a few matter what the circumstances or for whom
enterprising composers, have greatly in- I was ostensibly composing, everything I've
creased the number of high-quality works ever written since I met John Barrows was
written for the horn in recent years, includ- written for him" ("In Memoriam: John R.
ing the five works collected in this review. Barrows," Horn Call 4, no. 2 [1974]: 23).
The American composer and songwriter The five-movement Suite for Horn and
Alec Wilder (1907-1980) has become a fa- Piano, one of Wilder's lesser-known horn
vorite among brass players for his melodic works, showcases a broad range of styles
gifts and eccentric syntheses of jazz, classi- and playing techniques. It ranges from the
cal, and popular elements. Until recently, first movement "Danse Quixotic," with jazz
the extent and variety of Wilder's output rhythms, accents, fun pitch bends, and
was underappreciated, largely because horn flares, to the feel of a popular sixties
many of his manuscripts were dispersed song in the third movement "Song," featur-
among friends and acquaintances. Today, ing a lyrical horn line over a chordal ac-
however, the Alec Wilder Archive at the companiment. Within five short move-
Sibley Music Library (Rochester, NY) andments, Wilder shows off the lyrical talents
books by Desmond Stone (Alec Wilder inthat made him a successful songwriter,
while also exploring dissonant harmonies
Spite of Himself A Life of the Composer [New
York: Oxford University Press, 1996]) and and modern horn playing techniques.

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 Music Reviews 803

Because of its
conservative moder
compositional style. Regarding
stantially easier
most twentieth-century tha
music as too "intel-
the Suitelectual,"
can he advocates restraint
providin the use of
ate students
experimental techniqueswith
and emphasizes
recital "communicative art" rather
piece, as than technical
well
to Wilder's difficulty (Baksa, "Has Music writ
horn Become Too
Barrows himself first recorded the Suite Intellectual?" American Record Guide 62, no.
(with the first two horn sonatas, Milton 6 [November-December 1999]: 65).
Kaye, piano, Golden Crest RE-7002 [1960], Baksa's Horn Sonata, written in 1983 and
LP), offering important insights into the revised in 1993, contains clear structures,
performance style Wilder had in mind. A long melodies, and conservative harmonies
more recent recording by Thomas Bacon faithfully reflecting the composer's aes-
(Nighthawks: The Complete Music for Horn thetic views. We hear the influence of many
and Piano, Philip Moll, piano, Summit horn favorites-the work opens with a very
Records DCD 170 [1994], CD) showcases idiomatic fanfare-like theme interspersed
all of Wilder's solo works for horn, and with lyrical phrases reminiscent of Strauss's
strongly emphasizes the jazz language Firstin Horn Concerto, op. 11, while the har-
his compositions. mony and texture recall Hindemith's horn
Wilder left as profound an influence on sonatas. The second movement highlights
Baksa's melodic gifts and the horn's vocal
the tuba repertoire as he did on that for the
horn. In fact, his well-known First Sonata quality, as lyrical lines soar over a simple pi-
for Tuba and Piano, written in 1959, was ano accompaniment. The third movement,
a quick, light rondo, which repeats its
only the third such sonata ever written, af-
ter those of Ralph Vaughan Williams andtheme again over simple piano figurations,
Hindemith. Beyond simply expanding the reminds us of the finales of the Mozart con-
tuba repertoire, Wilder's Suite (Twelve certos. Excepting the occasional melodic
Duets) for Horn and Tuba also employs climax,
a the work generally sits in the mid-
unique and imaginative chamber music dle of the horn's range and provides ample
combination. Wilder does not hold back
rest for the horn player. The sonata offers
when composing for the tuba, using
few
itstechnical,
en- rhythmic, or ensemble chal-
tire range while demanding both lyricism
lenges and eschews all experimental tech-
and nimbleness. Throughout, jazz har-making it suitable for early under-
niques,
monies and rhythms appear alongside
graduate students.
classical idioms in Wilder's characteristic Presser's edition of the sonata is easy to
fashion. read with minimal editing. One quirk, how-
Although Wilder composed these duets ever, is the lack of a concert-pitch score,
in 1978, they receive their first publicationforcing the accompanist to transpose in or-
in this set of two scores edited by Schuller.der to place the horn part in its harmonic
Schuller's ample editorial marks (Wilder context.

left almost no performance instructions for Thomas Benjamin (b. 1940), recently
his compositions) remain strictly faithful totired from the theory and composition
Wilder's style, and phrasings are clear andulty at the Peabody Institute of the J
consistent throughout each movement. Hopkins University, has a broad comp
Players will likely use this set mostly for pri-tional output that includes oratorios,
vate enjoyment and sight-reading materialtatas, operas, orchestral works, and ch
-although Wilder's duets are also startingber music. His Horn!, commissioned by
to appear on student recital programs, re-dedicated to Peter Landgren (fellow
flecting the growing appreciation of hisbody faculty member and associate pr
importance. pal horn, Baltimore Symphony Orche
Robert Baksa (b. 1938), like Wilder, has represents a success in the IHS-assist
championed many underappreciated in- commissioning project. Horn!, a sin
struments, writing sonatas for most western movement fantasy, recalls the examin
classical instruments. Baksa, an American pieces written for the Paris Conservat
composer born of Hungarian parentage, mostly by French composers like Eu
has over five hundred compositions to Bozza
his (1905-1991)-to display the play
flexibility
credit spanning many genres, largely in a and stamina. This absorbi

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 804 NOTES, March 2004

mood-piece begins agility, are interspersed with a da

with rhythmically
noticeably absent displaced, powerfulhorn bell tones. Brouwer
play
offstage begins masterfully exploits new harmonieslow
playing and l
gradually swell ina high
colors, retaining dynamic,
level of emotional
mosphere of investment calm. despite the
As movement's
the formi- ho
stage, the lights dable difficulties. are raised
meterless horn line becomes more active, The Horn Consortium Commissioning
culminating in a frantic section that high-Group of the IHS commissioned Brouwer's
lights the horn's agility. Horn! continuesSonata and funded its first performance at
with free, atmospheric sections alternatingthe Cleveland Institute in 2000 by Richard
with quicker, scherzando ones; all the King, principal horn of the Cleveland
while, Benjamin insistently explores the Orchestra. Kristin Pederson Thelander
expressive capacity of various muted and (horn) and Rene Lecuona (piano) have
hand-stopped timbres. The work ends spec- recorded the sonata on the compact disc of
tacularly, with octave glissandos punctuat- Bouwer's works entitled Crosswinds (CRI
ing the end of this showcase piece. Al- CD 821 [1999]).
though the large variety of timbres poses The multitude of styles and genres found
challenges for the hornist, and the rhythms in this group of compositions demonstrates
are at times complicated, Horn! stays within the effectiveness of current efforts to in-
the middle range of the instrument and crease the quality of the solo horn reper-
should be accessible to many undergradu- toire. All of the works reviewed here have
ate horn players. endearing qualities, making each a worthy
Margaret Brouwer (b. 1940) currently addition to the horn literature. Even more
heads the composition department at the valuable, however, may be the stimulus they
Cleveland Institute of Music, where she also provide younger composers to realize the
holds the Vincent K. and Edith H. Smith horn's potential as a solo instrument.
Chair in composition. Critics have de- ERIN MULLEN
scribed Brouwer as creative and indepen- Boston Public Library
dent (see, for example, Robert Kirzinger,
review of Crosswinds [CD], Fanfare 23, no. 2
[November-December 1999]: 225-26); she
often resists current compositional trendsSergio Assad. Jobiniana no. 3 pour
while writing music that is lyrical, accessi- guitare. (Collection Sergio Assad.)
ble, and deeply moving. Her music is Paris: Editions Henry Lemoine
published exclusively by Carl Fischer/ (T. Presser), c1998. [Score, 8 p. ISMN
Pembroke Music and is recorded on the
M-2309-6574-3; pub. no. 26574 H. L.
Crystal, Centaur, CRI, and Opus One labels.
C9.30.]
Brouwer's Sonata for Horn and Piano,
written between 1995 and 1999 after the Sergio Assad. Jobiniana no. 1 pour 2
death of two loved ones, reflects both herguitares. (Collection Sergio Assad.)
intense emotional pain and her strong Paris: Editions Henry Lemoine
faith. The first movement, "Hymn," begins (T. Presser), c1998. [2 scores, 7 p.
in an atmosphere of numbness; static
rhythms, dissonant harmonies, and muted
ISMN M-2309-6573-6; pub. no. 26573
H. L. C10.40.]
horn effects create a feeling of distance. As
the movement continues, rhythmic com-Sergio Assad. Circulo maigico pour
plexities develop within the ethereal mood.
For the horn player, the movement de-
flhute et guitare. (Collection Sergio
mands mastery of legato playing and strong
Assad.) Paris: Editions Henry Lemoine
breath control. The second and final move- (T. Presser), c2000. [Score, 12 p. and
ment, "Riding to Higher Clouds," lies2 in
parts. ISMN M-2309-6572-9; pub. no.
26572 H. L. C14.50.]
stark contrast to the first as it quickly passes
through many conflicting emotions such as
Sergio Assad. Winter Impressions pour
tension, confusion, reflection, and libera-
tion. Harsh rhythmic passages requiringflfite, alto et guitare. (Collection
good tonguing technique, speed, and Sergio Assad.) Paris: Editions Henry

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