Konzertstuck for Four Horns and Orchestra, Op. 86 – Robert Schumann

Konzertstuck for Four Horns and Orchestra, Op. 86 by Robert Schumann

Schumann would complete this work for four horns and orchestra in 1849, with the premiere performance being given in February of 1850 at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. Prior to 1818, the horn used in a conventional orchestra was made of brass, and was comprised of a bell connected to series of wound metal tubing. The additional length provided by the wound tubing allowed the player to selectively play notes within the key to which the horn was tuned. The name of this instrument was the ’French horn’ due to the primary manufacturers of the instrument being artisans in France. At this stage the instrument was limited to a single key for the purposes of performance.

At some point in the early 18th century, German inventers had created a device called a ‘Crook’ as a method of changing the key of the horn, even during a performance. To change the key of the instrument, the player would swap out the current wound tubing or ‘Crook’ for one of a different length to match a different key. This was still a difficult process and limited the dexterity of the horn as a soloist instrument. By the start of the 19th century the two different types of horn would be referred to as either the French horn or the German horn respectively.

In 1818, two German musicians named Heinrich Stölzel and Friedrich Blümel would patent the first rotary valved horn. This allowed the player to change the key of the instrument without changing out the crook. The early versions of this valved horn would sometimes malfunction and was also difficult to make due to the complex rotary valve system. As the technology improved, the instrument become just as reliable as the other valved brass instruments, and by 1849 composers like Schumann were eager to demonstrate the potential for the horn to be the soloist in an ensemble work.

This work is comprised of three movements:
I. Lebhaft (Lively)
II. Romanze. Zeimlich langsam (Romance. Quite slow)
III. Sehr lebhaft (Very lively)