The horn of Leutgeb and Mozart : investigation and experimentation

Nicolas Roudier

A lot of researches have been conducted on Mozart's work and how to play it, including by myself. Eventhough those works helped our comprehension of this music, we still don't know what particular horn did Leutgeb (the composer's hornist friend) play at the time ; and never have I ever encountered a practical experimentation on such an instrument yet. XVIIIth century horns are rare and never played : every recorded performance of Mozart’s music on hand-horn is played on a copy or a XIXth century horn, which is historically inaccurate. We know a lot of theory ; but no one has gone any further yet. My goal is to step in the unknown : first, to get as close as possible to the horn Leutgeb and Mozart knew ; then, find and play a historical horn from Mozart’s time, and see what impact it has on the playing and the music.

I deeply thank the following persons (in alphabethical order) who, by their kindness, musicianship, efforts and patience, made this research possible :

Stefan Blonk, horn player

Johannes Boer, head of the Early Music Department, Royal Conservatory of The Hague

Francisca Branco, soprano, with whom I had an intense training in facing deception

Michael Latcham

Luc Henrion, sound engineer

Milly van Houten-de Kom, curator in Den Haag Kunstmuseum

Ulrich Hübner, horn player

John Humphries, horn player

Vojtech Jakl, violin player

Michal Klas, violin player

Lucka Krajcirovicova, viola player

Vaclav Luks, horn player and conductor

Frantisek Maly, curator of the music instruments collection of Jevisovice Castle, Czech rep.

Claude Maury, horn player

Anders Muskens, pianofortist, who completed Mozart's fragment in E

Bart van Oort, pianofortist, tutor for this research

Michal Raitmajer, cellist

Alain Roudier, pianofortist and organologist

Luce Roudier, French literature

Barbara Willi, harpsichordist / pianofortist and teacher in Brno, Czech rep., to whom I owe more than words can say

Teunis van der Zwart, horn teacher

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