Soliloquy for Horn (about 3 mins)

[Dane Aubrun]

A solo piece, and I wanted to write something more cheerful than my usual stuff. A nice rest from orchestral scoring. 

This may seem short-ish. It could probably be developed more but I had to bear in mind the limitations of playing. Although a high G (written) should be no big deal for a competent player, too long up there is tiring. This piece briefly touches high A a couple of times. So best to keep it short or leave longer pauses between phrases.

Anyway, I'd be sincerely grateful if you could give it a listen and a comment, good, bad, brief, whatever and thank you if you can.

Hoping everyone is keeping well.

Dane.

Edit: I tried to produce a score which ought to be dead simple but my daw's notation side just wouldn't play the game. I transposed it to written pitch (in F) then removed the key signature, after which it wouldn't let me alter the accidentals to a more rational arrangement. So I gave up at that point. Here it is but useful for bar references only.

[Francois Jenno]

I enjoyed listening to it. I liked the alternation between the fast staccato and the long notes with the pauses between them. Nice work.

[Dane Aubrun]

Hello Francois,

Many thanks for your generous comment. Much appreciated.

[Timothy Smith]

This was a very nice horn solo. I can hear a framework built around it and I'm sure you would be capable to do it if you wanted to. Ok as it is too. Sometimes I think we need a break from whatever it is we are doing to do something else.

Hope you are well. I am still above the grass and that's a good thing.

[Kjell Prytz]

A very pleasant piece. Remarkable how much one can do with a single instrument, if you are Dane of course.

There were many beautiful moments here making it interesting all through.

Congrats to this unique piece.

/Kjell

[Saul Gefen]

Very Bright and pleasant piece, 

Thanks for sharing

[Dane Aubrun]

Many thanks Timothy for listening and your comments. 

The problem with doing more to it is 'is it playable', I have access to an ex-pro player once this lockdown thing is over but it's probably quite tiring to play. It would need a Dennis Brain or Tuckwell to bring it off...I reckon, anyway. 

Still, it was something to break the composing mould, as it were.

Cheers.

Timothy Smith said:

This was a very nice horn solo. I can hear a framework built around it and I'm sure you would be capable to do it if you wanted to. Ok as it is too. Sometimes I think we need a break from whatever it is we are doing to do something else.

Hope you are well. I am still above the grass and that's a good thing.

[Dane Aubrun]

Hi, Kjell,

Your comments were most flattering - and thank you for listening. 

I wrote it to break away from orchestral scores but also it forces me to write melody (of sorts) which is my weak point. I can't write melody for toffee!!

Cheers,

Dane

Kjell Prytz said:

A very pleasant piece. Remarkable how much one can do with a single instrument, if you are Dane of course.

There were many beautiful moments here making it interesting all through.

Congrats to this unique piece.

/Kjell

[Dane Aubrun]

Hi, Saul

Thank you for listening and commenting. A bit of a change to write something cheerful. Probably induced by our current difficult times.

Much appreciated,

Dane

Saul Gefen said:

Very Bright and pleasant piece, 

Thanks for sharing

[Douglas Locke]

I had to listen a few times to attune to it, but I liked it more each time.  The loneliness of the single horn adds to it, so though you say it was cheerful, I found it a little sad.  Very interesting.  

[Timothy Smith]

No worried Dane. Just fine as is ;)

I have only heard the phrase " I reckon" down south and from a few in the UK. We must have borrowed it from you guys, I reckon.

I never hear it used in these parts. Most interesting. I once heard it used quite often "down there". 

Dane Aubrun said:

Many thanks Timothy for listening and your comments. 

The problem with doing more to it is 'is it playable', I have access to an ex-pro player once this lockdown thing is over but it's probably quite tiring to play. It would need a Dennis Brain or Tuckwell to bring it off...I reckon, anyway. 

Still, it was something to break the composing mould, as it were.

Cheers.

Timothy Smith said:

This was a very nice horn solo. I can hear a framework built around it and I'm sure you would be capable to do it if you wanted to. Ok as it is too. Sometimes I think we need a break from whatever it is we are doing to do something else.

Hope you are well. I am still above the grass and that's a good thing.

[Ingo Lee]

Very nice piece Dane, a nice change of pace from your orchestral works. Great use of the expressive possibilities of the horn. You either know a talented player or you know this instrument and the articulations and dynamics built into your library quite well. This should become a concerto, you've got everything for a cadenza here already.

'

[Dane Aubrun]

Hello Douglas,

Many thanks for listening, particularly taking time to listen again and I'm pleased it ended up making some kind of sense.

Unfortunately I don't write music in keys so it's all in "C major" with a cartload of accidentals (or I'd be changing key signature bar by bar. Which means it rarely makes conventional sense). If I get too cheerful and accidentally break into a major key it becomes light music all too easily.

So, thank you for your comment. Much appreciated.

Dane

Douglas Locke said:

I had to listen a few times to attune to it, but I liked it more each time.  The loneliness of the single horn adds to it, so though you say it was cheerful, I found it a little sad.  Very interesting.