Amber Colvis
ANALYSIS OF APPEL INTERSTELLAIRE FROM DES CANYONS AUX ÉTOILES...FOR SOLO PIANO, HORN, XYLORIMBA, GLOCKENSPIEL, AND ORCHESTRA BY OLIVIER MESSIAEN
“Interstellar Call,” scored for solo French horn, is the sixth movement of Olivier Messiaen’s orchestral work, “From the Canyons to the Stars…”. Olivier Messiaen was a French avant-garde composer who studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Paul Dukas. Messiaen considered himself a Romantic, but harnessed the technique of serialism to perpetuate his religious philosophies and his personal fixation on what he termed the “charm of impossibilities,” or symmetry. In addition to expressing his Roman Catholic beliefs, Messiaen had a fascination with birdcalls and exhibited characteristics of synesthesia. This work represents the French avant-garde compositional styles of the mid-20th century. Features of this piece that will be discussed include a variety of extended techniques for horn, as well as religious symbolism, tonal and rhythmic serialism, and transcriptions of birdsongs. Messiaen’s use of birdsongs and timbres in relation to horn will be analyzed and demonstrated live.
NATURAL HORN IN THE MODERN ERA: VILLANELLE FOR HORN AND
PIANO BY PAUL DUKAS
“Villanelle for Horn and Piano” is one of the last notable compositions of the early 20th
century to incorporate the use of natural horn technique. The art of natural horn playing
was decreasing significantly at the conception of this piece due to the advent of the
modern valved horn. This exploration will encompass the evolution of the horn from
hunting horns to modern valved horns, and the decline of natural horn over the past
century. Natural horn technique will be discussed in depth, as well as the advantages and
challenges of learning the technique in relation to valved horn playing.