Konzertstück in F Major

Until the 19th century, the horn was little more than a coiled brass tube, with players only able to play a limited number of notes without them inserting their hand into the bell, thus altering the tone quality and limiting the instrument’s consistency. The development of the valve horn, patented in 1818, at last made it fully chromatic and even across its range, and it was for this instrument that Schumann composed his thrilling Konzertstück in 1849. He exploits the valve horn’s new ability to go beyond sustained notes and fanfare-style figures and to play long-breathed melodies and virtuoso passages with a high level of accuracy. Like many of Schumann’s later concertante works, the three movements run into each other, opening with an abrupt call to attention before all four horns enter with the motif that will inform the gloriously joyous first movement. The central “Romanze” provides an oasis of calm before the irresistible high spirits of the finale.