'The book is very well researched, very well written and will be a substantial contribution to the history of the horn. In structure and scope, this book goes deeper into the history of the horn in France in the nineteenth century than anything written previously. Highly recommended.
Professor Richard Seraphinoff, IU Jacobs School of Music, USA 'The book is very well researched, very well written and will be a substantial contribution to the history of the horn. In structure and scope, this book goes deeper into the history of the horn in France in the nineteenth century than anything written previously. Highly recommended.
Professor Richard Seraphinoff, IU Jacobs School of Music, USA
As a performer, teacher and scholar with a long interest in this area, Snedeker is excellently placed to tell the story of the Conservatoires teachers, the instruments they played, their aesthetic ideals, and the problems they faced in coming to terms with technological and musical developments, while also investigating and evaluating the reasons why it did not completely accept the valved horn until the early days of the twentieth centuryI, for one, am indebted to him for providing handy translations of documents with which I have struggled in the past, and I suspect that there will be many others who will be grateful that they can now avoid this chore!... perceptive analyses [ Snedekers] suggestions for performance are as interesting as they are thorough and thoughtful, and the chapter is packed with further musical examples and translations of material which wouldnt otherwise come easily to handThis is a valuable bookI am sure that anyone who has a serious interest in nineteenth-century horn playing will want to return to it again and again.
John Humphries, The Galpin Society Journal LXXV (2022)
The level of detail and care that has gone into the preparation of this book (including research and translations) is evident and Snedekers loving and faithful commitment are clearly rendered. His writing flows easily, making this book an enjoyable read, not just because of its interesting and important content, but also in the way that he makes things multi-dimensional, by creating context that facilitates connections not only with the content, but with the people involved in this history Clearly structured, organized, and presented, Snedeker has created an invaluable resource to bridge the gap between the natural and modern horn through his faithful account of over 100 years of teaching and performance practices at the Paris Conservatory from the late 1700s through the early 1900s. There are numerous benefits for all who read this book to discover, including (but not limited to) a deeper understanding of the history, a context for the performance practices and methods, as well as a greater connection with the lineage. A thorough, well-researched, and comprehensive resource for the history of the horn in France, this is a must-read.
The Horn Call: Journal of the International Horn Society, October 2023
