Colin Dorman

Horn Player, Tech Enthusiast

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French Horn Music

Here is a partial (and continuously updated) list of some French horn music for students,
including etudes, technique studies, and solos, all sorted by approximate dif;culty level.The
links take you toSheetMusicPlus, Amazon.com,or to Woodwind & Brasswind.com to
purchase. If SheetMusicPlus has any sales going on, click the banner below to take
advantage of them:
If youre ordering titles from Amazon, dont forget that if you sign up for a free 30 day
Amazon Prime trial, you can get free 2-day shipping along with access to Prime Video and
Prime Music!
Titles in bold italicsare strongly recommended. Keep in mind that this is a work in progress
any suggestions or thoughts, let me know!
Reference/Studies Books
Music for Beginning Horn Players
Music for Intermediate Horn Players
Music for Advanced Intermediate Horn Players
Music for Advanced/College Horn Players
Other Music Resources
If youre looking for basic exercises to improve tone, lips slurs, scales, or any other technique,
head over to my own collection of horn exercises: scales, slurs, long tones, and more all for
free!
Reference/Studies Books:

1. Art of French Horn Playing by Phil Farkas this was pretty much the Bible for Horn
Players for a long time. Its still a great book for any aspiring horn player, although

Farkas himself wasnt a fan of everything in his book!

Art of Horn Playing - SheetMusicPlus.com
Art of Horn Playing - WWBW.com
Art of Horn Playing - Amazon
2. Collected Thoughts on Teaching and Learning, Creativity and Horn Performance by
Douglas Hill A collection of thoughts on a wide range of topics beginning horn
players, audition preparation, improvisation, composing, and more.
Collected Thoughts on Teaching and Learning Creatively - SheetMusicPlus.com
3. Brass Playing is No Harder Than Deep Breathing by Claude Gordon Covering some of
the most important topics and concepts of brass playing in a fairly quick-reading 35
pages. Written by a trumpet player, this book is extremely useful in developing and
re;ning technique.
Brass Playing is No Harder Than Deep Breathing - SheetMusicPlus.com
Brass Playing is No Harder Than Deep Breathing - Amazon.com
4. Embouchure Builder for French Horn by Joseph Singer a great book for improving
embouchure strength and overall technique. Only recommended for Intermediate or
stronger players.
Embouchure Builder for French Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
Embouchure Builder for French horn - Amazon.com
5. Technical Studies for Solving Problems on the Horn by William Brophy Some nice
exercises and explanations for ;xing common problem areas among all levels of horn
player. Things like low and high register, stopped horn, multiple tonguing, and more!
Technical Studies for Solving Problems on the Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
Technical Studies for Solving Problems on the Horn - Amazon.com
6. Mastery of the French Horn byMichael Hoeltzel
Mastery of the French Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
7. Pares Scales for French Horn by Gabriel Pares A great resource for learning and
reviewing scales in all sorts of different rhythms and patterns. A great resource to use
as a part of your warm-up!
Daily Exercises and Scales for French Horn
8. Daily Drills and Technical Studies for Trombone by Max Schlossberg While written for
trombone, this book has some excellent /exibility, harmonic, and scale exercises. Plus,
its great for keeping your bass clef reading in shape!
Daily Drills and Technical Studies for Trombone - SheetMusicPlus.com
Daily Drills and Technical Studies for Trombone - Amazon.com
9. Lip Flexibilities for All Instruments by Bai Lin These run the gamut from useful to
crazy, and many can be modi;ed and extended for horn to challenge your /exibility in
different ways.
Bai Lin Lip Flexibilities - SheetMusicPlus.com
Bai Lin Lip Flexibilities - Amazon.com
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French Horn Musicfor beginning (5th-7th grade) horns:

1. Rubank Elementary Method French Horn in F or E-Flat and Mellophone essentially a
beginning band method book. If you have a different one from your band (Essential
Elements, Standard of Excellence) dont worry about this book.
Rubank Elementary Method - SheetMusicPlus.com

Rubank Elementary Method - WWBW.com

2. First Book of Practical Studies for French Horn a nice addition to a typical beginning
band method book. This is in an easier range for the beginning horn player.
First Book of Practical Studies - SheetMusicPlus.com
First Book of Practical Studies - Amazon.com
3. A First Book of Etudes for French Horn by Arthur Goldstein Very simple exercises in a
more comfortable range than most beginning band methods.
First Book of Etudes for French Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
First Book of Etudes for French Horn - Amazon.com
4. A Second Book of Etudes for French Horn by Arthur Goldstein Slightly more
complicated rhythms and a larger range make these a little more challenging for
beginning students.
A Second Book of Etudes for French Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
A Second Book of Etudes for French Horn - Amazon.com
5. A First Book of Exercises for French Horn by Arthur Goldstein A good companion to
the book of etudes by Goldstein, the exercises in this book are more focused on basic
techniques to promote good playing habits.
A First Book of Exercises for French Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
A First Book of Exercises for French Horn - Amazon.com
6. The Horn Collection Easy to Intermediate Level: G. Schirmer Instrumental Library 14
Pieces by 11 Composers a collection of several classical tunes arranged for horn and
piano (both piano part and a CD recording of it are included). A nice book of easy to
intermediate solos.
The Horn Collection: Easy to Intermediate - SheetMusicPlus.com
The Horn Collection: Easy to Intermediate - WWBW.com
The Horn Collection: Easy to Intermediate - Amazon.com
7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone: Selected Themes from the Motion Picture :
French Horn Solo, Duet, Trio (Instrumental Series) a collection of themes from the ;rst
Harry Potter movie. All the music can be played by one, two, or three horns.
Harry Potter Themes - SheetMusicPlus.com
8. Favorite Movie Themes! slightly more challenging than the Harry Potter music, this
contains themes from some popular movies.
Favorite Movie Themes - SheetMusicPlus.com

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French Horn Music for Intermediate (8th 10th grade)horns:

1. Kopprasch Sixty Selected Studies for Horn Book 1 a classic horn etude book for
intermediate to professionalhorn players. Auditions for Kentucky All-District and AllState often come from this book. You can ;nd some recordings Ive done of selected
etudes here.
Kopprasch Book 1 - SheetMusicPlus.com
Kopprasch Book 1 - WWBW.com
Kopprasch Book 1 - Amazon.com
2. Preparatory Melodies to Solo Work for French Horn (from Schantl) this collection of
etudes provides more variety in style and key signatures than Kopprasch without being

too technically demanding in range or endurance.

Preparatory Melodies from the Schantl Collection - SheetMusicPlus.com
Preparatory Melodies from the Schantl Collection - WWBW.com
Preparatory Melodies from the Schantl Collection
3. Melodious Studies for French Horn by Edwin Miersch A collection of etudes that start
moderately easily and progress to relatively challenging using a variety of key and time
signatures. There are also some nice duets that follow a similar progression that keep
the book from getting too monotonous.
Melodious Etudes for French Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
Melodious Studies for French Horn - Amazon.com
4. Maxime-Alphonse 200 Studies in 6 Books for Horn #1: 70 Very Easy and Easy Studies
dont let the Very Easy and Easy fool you, these arent super-easy beginner studies.
Very well written and notated, they encompass a fairly widevariety of styles and
dynamics, and the range extends from below to above the staff. The author also
provides little notes to help avoid common pitfalls!
Maxime Alphonse Book 1 - SheetMusicPlus.com
5. Maxime-Alphonse 200 Studies in 6 Books for Horn #2: 40 Easy Studies Continuing on
from the ;rst book, the etudes here are a little bit more challenging and a little bit more
musically intricate. Despite the Easy label, these are still challenging for most high
school and college players.
Maxime-Alphonse Book 2 - SheetMusicPlus.com
6. 335 Selected Melodius Progressive and Technical Studies for Horn: Book
1Pottag/AndraudA collection of many different etudes and a few solos as well. If
you can only get one etude book, this is probably the most well-rounded, and will keep
you busy for a long time!
335 Selected Melodious Progressive Etudes: Book 1 - SheetMusicPlus.com
335 Selected Melodious Progressive Etudes: Book 1 - Amazon.com
7. Solos for the Horn Playerby Mason Jones a great resource for solo and ensemble
and other auditions that let you choose your piece. This collection has pieces that can
challenge a horn player from 9th grade to college.
Solos for the Horn Player - SheetMusicPlus.com
Solos for the Horn Player - WWBW.com
Solos for the Horn Player - Amazon.com
8. The Horn Collection Intermediate Level: G. Schirmer Instrumental Library 12 Pieces by
12 Composers
another good collection for Solo and Ensemble. A little bit easier overall than the
Mason Jones book, there are a couple of pieces that are in both.
The Horn Collection: Intermediate Level - SheetMusicPlus.com
The Horn Collection: Intermediate Level - WWBW.com
The Horn Collection: Intermediate Level - Amazon.com
9. Masters Solos Intermediate Level several solos arranged for horn, with some helpful
practice and performance tips for piece written by Louis Stout.
Masters Solos: Intermediate - SheetMusicPlus.com
10. Four Horn Concertos and Concert Rondo by W. A. Mozart
Not a great edition, but it is all 4 concerti, and its cheap! A much better edition can be
found below.
Mozart Horn Concertos - SheetMusicPlus.com
Mozart Horn Concertos - WWBW.com

11. Four Mozart Horn Concertos, Concert Rondo, and Fragments(Tuckwell Edition) This
is a great edition of all 4 Mozart Horn Concertos, a newer (and longer) edition of the
Concerto Rondo, and fragments of an uncompleted concerto. Includes original key and
transposed solo parts. If you want to play in college and beyond, THIS is best all-around
and all-in-one Mozart edition!
Mozart 4 Horn Concertos and Concert Rondo: Tuckwell Edition SheetMusicPlus.com
If you want the most accurate Mozart editions, you cant go wrong with an urtext
edition. There are two main publishers of urtext editions of Mozart concertos:
G. Henle Verlag:
Concerto 1 (K412/514) Henle-Verlag - SheetMusicPlus.com
Concerto 2 (K417) Henle-Verlag - SheetMusicPlus.com
Concerto 3 (K447) Henle-Verlag - SheetMusicPlus.com
Concerto 4 (K495) Henle-Verlag - SheetMusicPlus.com
Baerenreiter:
Concerto 1 (K412/514) Barenreiter - SheetMusicPlus.com
Concerto 2 (K417) Barenreiter - SheetMusicPlus.com
Concerto 3 (K447) Barenreiter - SheetMusicPlus.com
Concerto 4 (K495) Barenreiter - SheetMusicPlus.com
12. Star Wars I-VI Instrumental Solos: Horn in F not really suitable for Solo and Ensemble,
but fun for just playing around during the summer!
Star Wars I-VI French Horn Solos - SheetMusicPlus.com
13. Disney Movie Hits for F Horn similar to the Star Wars, not for serious solo
performances, they are fun if you like Disney!
Disney Movie Hits for French Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
14. Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos more fun music to play between practicing AllDistrict and band music!
Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos - SheetMusicPlus.com

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French Horn Music for Advanced Intermediate (11th 12th

grade) horns:
1. 335 Selected Melodious Progressive and Technical Studies for Horn: Book
2Pottag/Andraud Similar to book 1, this contains a large number of different etudes
by different composers, as well as a few solos at the end. A good all-around collection,
that can keep you practicing for awhile!
335 Selected Melodious Progressive Etudes: Book 2 - SheetMusicPlus.com
2. The Horn Collection Intermediate to Advanced Level: G. Schirmer Instrumental Library
9 Pieces by 7 Composers a collection of movements from several challenging works
for an advanced high school or college undergraduate horn player. Although several
pieces only have one movement included, this is still an inexpensive way to play a wide
variety of challenging horn solo repertoire.
The Horn Collection: Intermediate to Advanced - SheetMusicPlus.com
The Horn Collection: Intermediate to Advanced Level - WWBW.com
The Horn Collection: Intermediate to Advanced - Amazon.com
3. 40 Characteristic Etudes for French horn Henri Kling
40 Characteristic Etudes for Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com

4. 12 Characteristic Studies for 2nd Horn by Jacques Francois Gallay Covering basically
from the G above the staff down almost 2.5 octaves, this book features lots of
challenging leaps and register changes characteristic of classical-era 2nd horn parts.
12 Studies for 2nd Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
5. Maxime-Alphonse 200 Studies in 6 Books for Horn #3: Average Dif;culty Studies
Continuing the same basic formula from the other two Maxime-Alphonse study books,
these are even more challenging, both in terms of length, range, rhythm, and musical
demands.
Maxime Alphonse Book 3 - SheetMusicPlus.com
6. 6 Cello Suites for the Horn by J.S. Bach, arranged for horn by Wendell Hoss This
arrangement of the Bach Cello Suiteschallenges a very awkward register for the horn.
Breathing spots are added and this can be extremely rewarding and bene;cial music to
work on for both /exibility and general musicianship.
6 Bach Cello Suites for Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
7. Horn Sonata, Op. 17, Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven Horn Sonata (G. Henle edition) - SheetMusicPlus.com
Beethoven Horn Sonata (Tuckwell Edition) - WWBW.com
8. Horn Concerto No. 1, Op. 11 in E-Flat Major, Richard Strauss
Schirmer Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
Schirmer Edition - WWBW.com
International Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
9. Nocturno Op. 7, Franz Strauss
Universal Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
10. Hunters Moon Gilbert Vinter
Boosey and Hawkes Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
11. Alla Caccia, by Allan Abbot
Weiberger Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
12. Reverie, Op. 24, Alexander Glazunov
Belaiff Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
Wiltshire Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
13. Morceau De Concert Op. 94, by Camille Saint-Saens
International Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
Durand Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
Belwin Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
14. Romance, Op. 36, by Camille Saint-Saens
G. Henle Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
Durand Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
15. Villanelle by Paul Dukas
International Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
Durand Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
G. Henle Edition
16. Horn Concerto, Op. 8 by Franz Strauss
Schirmer Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
Tuckwell Edition - WWBW.com
17. Mel Bays Anthology of French Horn Music a collection of horn orchestral excerpts.
There are more complete collections available, but this is one of the least expensive.
Mel Bay Anthology of French Horn Music - SheetMusicPlus.com
18. Horn Players Audition Handbook another compilation of orchestral horn excerpts.
Some overlap with the Mel Bay anthology, but there are somethings in here not in there.

Still not an all-in-one excerpt compilation.

Horn Player's Audition Handbook - SheetMusicPlus.com

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French Horn Music for Advanced (college level and beyond)

players:
1. 40 Preludes, Op.27 by Jacques Francois Gallay this collection of preludes features
both measured and unmeasured works the latter challenging not only technique, but
also phrasing.
40 Preludes - SheetMusicPlus.com
2. Maxime-Alphonse 200 Studies in 6 Books for Horn #4-6These etudes get both longer
and more challenging, and offer both musical and technical dif;culty. Many of these
etudes will bene;t from added rests, however, as some have little to no rest written in.
Book #4: 20 Dif;cult Etudes - SheetMusicPlus.com
Book #5: 20 Very Dif;cult Etudes - SheetMusicPlus.com
Book #6: 10 Virtuosic Etudes
3. 48 Etudes for French Hornby Verne Reynolds 48 etudes that are written in a very
contemporary style, the ;rst 24 cover each interval, from the half-step to the octave,
while the last 24 cover a variety of other technical challenges often encounter in modern
music (extreme range, articulation, dynamics, etc.)
48 Etudes - SheetMusicPlus.com
48 Etudes - WWBW.com
4. 21 Characteristic Etudes for High Horn Playing by Martin Hackleman These etudes
cover the upper register, up to high C and beyond, in a very melodic and often lyrical
fashion. Adapted from clarinet studies.
21 Characteristic Etudes for High Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
5. 34 Characteristic Etudes for Low Horn Playing by Martin Hackleman These are similar
to the high horn etudes, except covering the low register. Most include at least some
bass clef, written in old notation.
34 Characteristic Etudes of Low Horn - SheetMusicPlus.com
6. Sonata by Paul Hindemith
Schott Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
7. Sonata for Alto Horn by Paul Hindemith Originally written for an Eb alto (or tenor) horn,
this piece is also performed by French horns and alto saxophones.
Schott Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
8. Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70by Robert Schumann One of the ;rst piece written for the
valved horn, this piece is both a technical challenge and an endurance challenge.
G. Henle Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
Tuckwell Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
Tuckwell Edition - WWBW.com
9. Laudatio by Bernhard Krol for horn alone
Simrock Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
10. Intrada by Otto Ketting for horn alone
Donemus Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com

11. Parable for Solo Horn by Vincent Persichetti

Theodore Presser Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
12. En Foret byEugene Bozza
Alphonse Leduc - SheetMusicPlus.com
13. Concerto for Horn and Strings by Gordon Jacob
Schirmer Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
14. Horn Concerto #2 in Eb Major by Richard Strauss
Boosey & Hawkes Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
15. Concerto in Bb Major Op. 91 by Rheinhold Gliere A long and very challenging Russian
horn concerto. This edition includes the cadenze written by Valery Polekh.
International Edition - SheetMusicPlus.com
16. Concerto for Horn and Orchestra by John Williams Keep in mind, this isnot like John
Williams movie music.
Hal Leonard Edition
This is not a complete list of French horn music for younger students you can ;nd a lot of
other music over at theFrench horn music result list at SheetMusicPlus.com
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Other Musical Resources

The Internation Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)has a large amount of public domain
classical music. A list of pieces on IMSLP featuring the horn can be found here. A word of
caution, though. While there are some good things to be found, many of these editions are
old, out-of-date, or inaccurate. They are ;ne to use as an introduction to a piece, but you
should be sure to purchase a good edition sooner rather than later! If youre looking for
orchestral excerpts, there are two great resources:
The International Horn Society has taken on the old HornExcerpts.org web page,
which you can ;ndright here. This website has a large collection of orchestral
excerpts with the relevant sheet music and a several recordings of each excerpt,
so you can get a sense of the style (and any traditional variations).
The most comprehensive single resource would probably be theThe Orchestral
Audition Repertoire for Horn: Comprehensive and Unabridged, compiled by David
Thompson. Its not cheap, at almost $100, but it is over 1,000 pages, and complete
parts not just the popular excerpts.

Although SheetMusicPlus.com does have a very wide selection and is pretty easy to
navigate, there are a few other good sources for horn music. Some of my other favorites are:
Robert King Music: Now part of Alphonse-Leduc, they have a wide variety of horn
music (as well as just about every other ensemble). The website is a bit of a pain to
navigate, though.
G. Henle Verlag: A German publisher with some excellent urtext (an edition written
to reproduce the original as closely as possible, with minimal editorial editions)
editions of Classical and Romantic era horn music. Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann,
Dukas, and others. I linked several Henle editions above buying these editions

from SheetMusic.com has generally faster shipping than buying direct from the
publisher.
Thompson Edition: In addition to the above-mentioned orchestral repertoire book,
Thompson Edition does have some other music for sale.
RM Williams Publishing: Specializing in new chamber works for horn, this is a good
place to ;nd a lot of new works by Paul Basler.
Robert Ostermeyer Musikedition: A good source for all manner of Classical and
Romantic era French horn music. A lot of lesser-known or hard-to-;nd music is
available here. They also have scores for horn concerti as well as offering rental
parts for performances.

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