Articles - The French Horn

The first question that should probably be answered is whether or not the Horn should be called a "French" Horn and whether indeed it has any connection with France and the French whatsoever. There is no definite answer to this and views on the matter tend to widely differ. According to this source, it is only in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom that the horn is known as the "French" Horn and most european literature refers to the instrument simply as the "horn". This source states that the name for the instrument in the UK came from the fact that hunting horns differed greatly from England to France; while French hunting horns were large, worn over the shoulder, and looked roughly similar to what is now called simply a "hunting horn", British hunting horns were much smaller, held in a single hand and pitched significantly higher.

To differentiate between what the British called a "horn" and the instrument that is nowdays called a horn, the larger modern instrument was given the prefix "French", as it reminded the British of the continental hunting horn. This source states that the "French Horn" was not developed in France, but in the Alps of the Germanic countries, commonly used to warn animal intruders who threatened the shepherd's flocks. The instrument, including the mouthpiece, was made entirely of wood and straw. Since the French dominated most of the Alpine region during the development of the horn the term "French Horn" became a popular term that has remained until today.

LurOf course the Horn didn't start off in the form it has today. This is what it has evolved into to over a period of 27 centuries. It's history can essentially be split into two periods. The pre 19th century period and the post 19th century period. The transition from one period to the other is marked by the introduction of the Valve into the design of the Horn. One of the earliest horn-like instruments, the lur, dates back to the sixth century B.C. The lur was made of bronze and was commonly used on battlefields by Scandinavian clans. It used to make a loud ugly sound perfect for what it was intended - terrorising enemy camps. The lur was nothing more than a long tube and the sound it made was a reflection of its simple form. This form remained until the 17th century when a more rounded form became popular in hunting.The fundamental structure of the 17th century horn and the modern day horn remains the same.