Horn Sonata

Scored for

horn solo

Other titles

Sonata za rog solo

About

Sonata for Horn is a four-movement work that explores various sonic possibilities offered by less conventional ways of playing the instrument. The movements differ not only in thematic material but especially in performance techniques—such as playing with the mouthpiece in the mouth only, tremolo on the mouthpiece without the horn, playing audio through the instrument, pulling valves or playing without them, kissing sounds, multiphonics, and more. The final movement is subtitled “Striptease”, as during the performance the horn player gradually disassembles—or “undresses”—the inst...

Sonata for Horn is a four-movement work that explores various sonic possibilities offered by less conventional ways of playing the instrument. The movements differ not only in thematic material but especially in performance techniques—such as playing with the mouthpiece in the mouth only, tremolo on the mouthpiece without the horn, playing audio through the instrument, pulling valves or playing without them, kissing sounds, multiphonics, and more. The final movement is subtitled “Striptease”, as during the performance the horn player gradually disassembles—or “undresses”—the instrument by removing its valves. The piece also features a brief quotation from a Slovenian folk song and incorporates elements of musical performance art. Technically demanding, it is primarily intended for performers who specialize in contemporary music.

Premiere

Mihajlo Bulajić, horn