Certificate Recital: Selena Hostetler, Horn

By Selena Hostetler

Villanelle (Dukas, 1906)
In 1906, Paul Dukas received a request from Gabriel Fauré to compose a piece for the Paris
Conservatory horn classes’ end-of-year examination, held in the form of a public competition.
Dukas barely finished the piece in time for the students to learn it, but it proved a success—Fauré
put it on the program at the competition award ceremony, the piece had its traditional concert
premiere half a year later, and it was selected twice more as the conservatory’s horn examination
piece. Given its success as a competition/exam piece, it is no wonder that Villanelle is now standard
in the horn repertoire.

Students at the Paris Conservatory had trained on natural (valveless) horns until 1903, when
professor François Brémond made the valve horn the exclusive instrument of study for his students.
Even then, he was still teaching the old techniques of hand stopping—partially or fully closing the
bell with the right hand to alter the pitches achievable on a natural horn scale. Villanelle is
representative of this mixture of natural, stopped, and valved horn playing. The opening of the
piece is marked “très modéré” (without valves) and is meant to be played on the open horn, with
hand adjustments used to reach notes outside the open series. (Some modern hornists, however,
play the entire piece with valves to achieve better intonation). Use of the valves returns when the
melody becomes more chromatic and begins to pick up tempo. The majority of the piece is played
on valve horn, but one section is played stopped (with the hand completely covering the bell
opening, creating a muted, echolike sound) and another requires a straight mute (for a clearer
muted sound).

A “villanelle” is a type of 16th and 17th-century Italian song, one that was often lighthearted and
pastoral. Dukas’s “Villanelle” is similarly playful, built from essentially two musical ideas: the opening
horn call, and the nimble melody that appears after the tempo picks up. These two ideas reappear
alternately throughout the piece with variations in key, style, and use of mutes. After the horn call
melody reappears for the final time, finished with a lip trill, the piece rockets through a section of
triple-tonguing to its competition-worthy conclusion on three Cs.

Six Quartets, Op. 35 (Tcherepnin, 1910)
After earning a law degree to please his father, Nikolai Tcherepnin studied piano and composition at
the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where he was a student of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Tcherepnin
went on to work at the Mariinsky Theater as a conductor and became well-known for his ballet
scores. He also taught at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, mentoring pupils such as Sergei
Prokofiev. World War I led Tcherepnin to move to Paris, where he spent the rest of his life making
concert tours in Europe and the States, conducting ballets, and founding the Russian Conservatory.
The Quartets for horn are part of Tcherepnin’s small chamber music output. The full piece has six
movements: nocturne, anciene chanson allemande, la chasse, choeur danse, chant populaire,
and un choral. The third movement, la chasse, evokes a hunt with its energetic horn calls and
fanfares. A more elegant and sustained variation of the melody appears in the middle of the
movement before the original tune reappears. The movement concludes playfully as the sound of
the hunting horns fades into the distance. Movement V, chant populaire, is based on a Russian folk
song. The first horn introduces the melody alone, then the third horn takes it up with support from
the second horn. The solo melody is passed around the ensemble, with harmony parts gradually
layered beneath it until the whole ensemble is playing. The movement concludes with a duet
between the first and third horns and ends on a solemn minor chord.

Introduction, Theme, and Variations, Op. 13 (F. Strauss, 1875)
Franz Strauss (the father of composer Richard Strauss) studied many instruments as a child, but the
horn was the one to which he devoted his life’s study. He achieved such mastery of the instrument
that he was considered one of the greatest horn players of his time—he was the principal horn for
several of Wagner’s opera premieres. Strauss was also a member of the Bavarian court orchestra
and a professor at the Academy of Music in Munich.

The piece begins, as its title suggests, with an elegant introduction. The opening phrase is strongly
reminiscent of the beginning of Mozart’s third horn concerto—the first measures in both pieces are
nearly identical. This introduction draws out the horn’s lyricism, while also providing opportunities to
demonstrate its agility and range with grace notes, leaps, and arpeggios. Following the introduction
is the simple, songlike theme, which lays out the A A’ B A’ structure that most of the variations
follow (Strauss wrote the piece with the B A’ section repeated; I omit the repeats). Variation I, con
licenza, features a highly adorned version of the theme, its mordents, scales, and arpeggios played
in a more recitative manner. Variation II, con anima, transforms the theme into an etude-like
barrage of sixteenth notes, some slurred and some lightly staccato. The andante cantabile breaks
from the A A’ B A’ structure and reworks the theme into an expressive minor melody in 3/4, ending
with a brief cadenza. The final variation, allegro vivace—rondo, is the longest by far. The theme,
returned to its major key, is now in a jaunty 6/8 meter. The B section of this variation deviates
significantly from the theme, but is heroic and triumphant. After a final repetition of the 6/8 version
of the A theme, Strauss adds a virtuosic coda full of motion that careens almost breathlessly to the
finale, a dramatic leap up to a Bb that then conclusively plummets two octaves.

Bop Duet #4 (Bower, c. 1960)
Maurice “Bugs” Bower wrote and arranged hundreds of tunes in the bebop style and was a
successful music producer. His duet collection Bop Duets was among the first books of music he
published in the 1960s. Though the French horn is not typically considered a jazz instrument, these
duets are playable on any pair of treble clef instruments (and a handful of horn players, including
Chris Komer, are exploring and advocating for the horn’s role in jazz music). Duet #4 features a
melody in the first horn part that is echoed or supported by the second horn. In the second half of
the tune, the second horn soloistically takes over the melody before returning to its supporting role
for the final phrases.

Romance for Horn and Piano (Scriabin, c. 1895)
Alexander Scriabin composed almost exclusively for piano and orchestra. Other than a handful of
unfinished works and a movement for a jointly-composed string quartet, this Romance for Horn and
Piano is the only piece of chamber music Scriabin wrote. Almost nothing is known about its
composition, including the date, though the (posthumous) first published edition of the Romance
suggested that it was likely written between 1894 and 1897. This same edition also states that the
piece was written “for the famous horn player Louis Savart from France.” This detail is unverified, but
it is documented that the two at least crossed paths—Savart performed a Mozart horn concerto at
the 1897 concert where Scriabin premiered his piano concerto.

The Romance is simple and straightforward; it consists almost entirely of a single musical idea. The
primary motif features a descending minor scale in alternating eighth and quarter notes, followed by
a triplet figure; it is repeated consistently throughout the piece. The opening statement of the
melody is wistful and plaintive, rich with emotion but never overstated. Scriabin’s pairing of eighth
notes and triplets in the horn mirrors the juxtaposition of the two rhythms in the piano
accompaniment, and thus the horn melody sometimes floats neatly on top of the piano, while at
other times it seems to be fighting the current of the river-like wash of sound. In fact, the piece is
more of a duet for the two instruments; their melodies are constantly weaving around and yielding
to one another. Though the piece begins rather innocently and reflectively, it gains intensity and
builds to two climactic statements of the motif, each louder than the one before. By this point, the
melody that was once gently melancholic is now insistent, lamenting, and anguished. Though the
piece reaches calm once more, Scriabin ends the final phrase with the horn on the dominant—an
imperfect cadence that ends this brief journey with something more like a question than an answer.

Horn Trio in Eb Major, Op. 40 (Brahms, 1865)
Brahms’s trio for horn, piano, and violin is one of the great chamber works in the horn repertoire,
and there is no other piece quite like it. Brahms composed this work in May 1865, just months after
the death of his mother. He wrote it while staying in Baden-Baden in Germany’s Black Forest, a
location Clara Schumann had introduced to him a few years earlier. Perhaps it was this forest and
thoughts of old hunting horns which inspired Brahms’s decision to write for the horn—or perhaps it
was childhood memories of his father, a hornist, giving him lessons on the instrument. Whatever the
reason, the composer’s decision was unprecedented—no one had ever written for piano, violin, and
horn, and not a few critics objected to this unusual orchestration. But Brahms did not merely write
for horn—he repeatedly emphasized that the piece was for Waldhorn, the natural, valveless horn
(even though it had become standard for composers to write for the valve horn starting in the
1830s). He was convinced that the sound of the open horn and the unique color of its handstopped
notes were what gave the piece its “gentle[ness]” and “poetry.” Most modern
performances of the trio use the valved horn, and though this sacrifices the original variety in the
horn’s timbre, the piece nevertheless remains elegant, evocative, and poignant.

The first movement, andante, eschews traditional sonata form in favor of an ABABA format. The A
theme of this movement “first occurred” to Brahms during a walk in the forest, “near Baden-Baden
on the wooded heights between the fir trees.” It is a gentle, lulling melody with tinges of yearning
and nostalgia. The B section is somewhat livelier, though it retains the intensity and longing of the
first theme. The second movement is a lively scherzo, simultaneously playful and emphatic. Its trio in
Ab minor, however, provides an unexpected shift in tone as the melody becomes a passionate
lament. Though the scherzo returns, this wistful interlude is foreshadowing for the somber third
movement.

The adagio mesto is considered one of Brahms’s greatest slow movements, and many of his
friends and biographers suggest it was written as an elegy for his mother. The unusual marking
mesto is Italian for “sad” or “mournful.” The movement begins with a funereal piano introduction.

The haunting horn melody is affecting, but restrained. It is a movement of profound despair, yet its
grief is expressed through a controlled lyricism that avoids mere emotionalism There is a brief and
passionate moment of hope at the end—the horn triumphantly proclaims a phrase from a German
folk song Brahms’s mother taught him as a child, “In der Weiden steht ein Haus” (In the Meadow
Stands a House). This folksong reappears in the primary theme of the final movement. This allegro
con brio finale is gleeful, driving, and adventurous, evoking the hunting horn with several horn call
passages. The piece romps to a triumphant and insistent conclusion, restoring light and joy after the
bitterness of mourning.

Selena Hostetler ‘23 is a senior from Coldwater, MI, concentrating in English and pursuing a certificate in Music Performance on the horn. She began playing the horn in sixth grade and studied with Deb Sarno through high school. During this time, she played horn for her high school concert band, joined the Sturgis Wind Symphony, and performed in the pit orchestra for a professional production of West Side Story. In her freshman year at Princeton, Selena joined the Princeton University Orchestra and began studying horn with Chris Komer. She has also enjoyed performing with Sinfonia, the Princeton Triangle Club pit orchestra, and various ensembles for dance and theater productions at the Lewis Center for the Arts. Outside of music, Selena is a member of Christian Union Nova and an editor for Moon Press, and she is busy writing her thesis on metaphor in Ray Bradbury’s short fiction. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in academic publishing.

Vince di Mura is a concert jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and musical director appearing on concert stages and theaters throughout North America, Canada, Europe, and Latin America. He is currently the Resident Musical Director and Composer for the Lewis Center of the Arts at Princeton University, where he has served since 1987. He has conducted seasons at The Bethesda Nederlander Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Tennessee Repertory, Act II Playhouse, The Arden Theatre Company, The Muhlenberg Summer Theatre Festival, The American Theatre Group, and many more. Best known for his arrangements for Summerwind Productions, his shows have had over 1,000 productions nationally and internationally, including “My Way: A Tribute to Frank Sinatra,” “Christmas My Way,” “Simply Simone” and “I Left My Heart: A Tribute to Tony Bennett.” Mr. di Mura has fulfilled numerous compositional commissions from Princeton University’s Department of Theatre and Dance, Rutgers University, Rider University, the Pingry Foundation, the University of Colorado, American Stage, People’s Light and Theatre Company, among others. Mr. di Mura is also the author and curator of “A Conversation With The Blues,” a 14-part web instructional series on improvisation through the Blues, produced by Soundfly Inc. He holds composition and jazz fellowships from the William Goldman Foundation, Temple University, Meet the Composer, CEPAC, the Union County Foundation, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Puffin Cultural Forum, and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. Mr. di Mura’s film credits include “Grace” and the award-winning indie film “Breathe.”

Rachel Hsu ‘23 currently studies violin with Sunghae Anna Lim. She began playing violin at the age of three and since then has won numerous awards, making her solo debut at age 7 in 2009 with the Oistrakh Symphony Orchestra as the winner of the DePaul Concerto Festival. She has won top prizes in the Society of American Musicians’ violin competition, CYSO Concerto Competition, and more. In previous years, Rachel has performed with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall as a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar. At Princeton University, Rachel is pursuing a degree in Molecular Biology, as well as certificates in Global Health Policy, Engineering Biology, and Music Performance. She is also an enthusiastic member of the music community. She is a volunteer violin teacher for Trenton Arts at Princeton, concertmaster of the Princeton University Orchestra, a member of Opus Chamber Music Princeton, and previously a member of Princeton Camerata. In her free time, Rachel enjoys reading, baking, biking, making videos, traveling, and eating good Asian food.

Chris Komer is proudly performing in his 7th season as Principal Horn of the New Jersey Symphony, and his 13th year teaching Horn at Princeton University. Outside of NJS and PU, his active and diverse musical life includes performances with the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, The New York City Ballet, the American Ballet Theater, and the New York City Opera. He has also been a frequent guest Principal Horn with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Milwaukee Symphony. His studio recording credits include Barbra Streisand, Natalie Cole, Sting, Harry Connick Jr., J.J. Johnson, Elvis Costello, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and many movie soundtracks. He has been the contracted Principal horn on 11 major Broadway Productions, including West Side Story (2007), Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, La Boheme, Music Man (2001), and Candide. Considered one of the top “jazz” hornists in the country, Chris is also a member of the Jamie Baum Septet Plus and the All Ears Orchestra. Recent jazz performances include the Monterrey Jazz Festival, the London Jazz Festival, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (led by Wynton Marsalis), Panamericana (a 20-piece Latin/Brazilian Big Band), the Michael Brecker Dodectet, and the Charles Mingus Orchestra, to name just a few. Chris spends his summers in Montana directing (and building) the Artists’ Refuge at Thunderhead—a diverse artists’ retreat he founded in 2007 deep in the mountains of the Lewis and Clark National Forest.

Soncera Ball ‘25 is a prospective philosophy major from Point Pleasant, New Jersey. She has been playing horn for about ten years and currently performs with the Princeton University Orchestra and Princeton Camerata. She is also the assistant conductor of Camerata. When she isn’t playing music, Sunny can be found rock climbing, writing poetry, hiking, and spending time with friends.

Spencer Bauman ‘25 is a sophomore in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department from Boca Raton, Florida. He has been playing horn for ten years and currently plays in the Princeton University Orchestra, Sinfonia, and Camerata. Besides playing horn, he also enjoys writing articles for the Daily Princetonian as Head Editor of the humor section.

Clara Conatser ‘25 is a geoscience major from New Orleans, Louisiana. She is pursuing certificates in French Language and Culture, Music Performance, and Environmental Studies. She is a member of Princeton Christian Fellowship, the Princeton University Orchestra, and is the co-president of the Princeton Association of Women in STEM.

Benjamin Edelson ‘23 is a senior from New York majoring in Philosophy with a certificate in Music Composition. On campus, Benjamin is a member of the Princeton University Orchestra and the Society of Philosophy, and a writer for the Legal Journal. In his spare time, he plays the organ at the University Chapel, composes music, and plays guitar, keys, and bass in a band with friends.