The French horn descends from the hunting horn (German Waldhorn — “forest horn”). The design is elegant: a long tube (about 4 meters) coiled into three or four turns, ending in a large bell. The player holds the instrument with the right hand, often inserting it into the bell to refine intonation and modify tone.
French-horn melodies are the heart of the Romantic orchestra: the Siegfried horn call by Wagner; the solos of Mozart's horn concertos; the famous horn call in the finale of Brahms's First Symphony. The horn is also essential in woodwind-quintets, where it bridges woodwinds and brass. Outstanding hornists: Dennis Brain, Radek Baborák. In Ukraine, horn playing is taught at the conservatories of Kyiv, Lviv, and Kharkiv.
