Editing French horn (section)

==Repertoire==
{{See also|List of compositions for horn}}
[[File:Paxman-horns.jpg|thumb|left|[[Paxman Musical Instruments|Paxman]] horns]]
Discussion of the repertoire of horns must recognize the different needs of orchestras and concert bands in contrast to marching bands, as above, but also the use of horns in a wide variety of music, including chamber music and jazz.

===Orchestra and concert band===
The horn is most often used as an orchestral and concert band instrument, with its singular tone being employed by composers to achieve specific effects. [[Leopold Mozart]], for example, used horns to signify the hunt, as in his ''[[Jagdsinfonie]]'' (hunting symphony). [[Georg Philipp Telemann|Telemann]] wrote much for the horn, and it features prominently in the work of [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]] and in [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]]'s ''[[Brandenburg Concertos|Brandenburg Concerto no. 1]]''. Once the technique of [[hand-stopping]] had been developed, allowing fully chromatic playing, composers began to write seriously for the horn. [[Gustav Mahler]] made great use of the horn's uniquely haunting and distant sound in his symphonies, notably the famous ''Nachtmusik'' (serenade) section of his [[Symphony No. 7 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 7]].

Many composers have written works that have become favorites in the horn repertoire. These include [[Francis Poulenc|Poulenc]] (''Elegie'') and [[Camille Saint-Saëns|Saint-Saëns]] (''Morceau de Concert for horn and orchestra'', op. 94 and ''Romance'', op. 36). Others, particularly [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]], whose friend [[Joseph Leutgeb]] was a noted horn player, wrote extensively for the instrument, including [[concerto|concerti]] and other solo works. Mozart's ''[[A Musical Joke]]'' satirizes the limitations of contemporary horn playing, including the risk of selecting the wrong crook by mistake.

The development of the valve horn was exploited by romantic composers such as [[Anton Bruckner|Bruckner]], [[Mahler]], and [[Richard Strauss]], whose father was a [[Franz Strauss|well-known professional horn player]]. Strauss's ''[[Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks]]'' contains one of the best known horn solos from this period, relying on the chromatic facility of the valved horn. [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]]'s [[Konzertstück for Four Horns and Orchestra|''Konzertstück'' for four horns and orchestra]] is a notable three-movement work. [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]] had a lifelong love-affair with the instrument, with many prominently featured parts throughout his four symphonies. Despite his use of natural horns in his work (e.g., Horns in B♮ in the second movement of his [[Symphony No. 2 (Brahms)|Symphony No. 2]]), players today typically play Brahms's music on modern valved instruments.

===Chamber music===
There is an abundance of [[chamber music]] repertoire for horn. It is a standard member of the [[wind quintet]] and [[brass quintet]], and often appears in other configurations, such as Brahms' [[Horn Trio (Brahms)|Horn Trio]] for violin, horn and piano (for which, however, Brahms specified the natural horn). Also, the horn can be used by itself in a horn ensemble or "horn choir". The horn choir is especially practical because the extended range of the horn provides the composer or arranger with more possibilities, registerally, sonically, and contrapuntally.