Editing French horn (section)

==Orchestral and concert band horns==
[[File:DSC 8763 (7084102945).jpg|thumb|A horn section in a military [[concert band]]]]
[[File:I Solisti Veneti, concerto La tromba, regina degli ottoni 27 sett 2022 (Chesa della Rotonda, Rovigo) 03.jpg|thumb|left|The horn section in [[I Solisti Veneti]], a chamber Baroque orchestra]]
A classical orchestra usually has at least two French horn players. Typically, the first horn played a high part and the second horn played a low part. Composers from [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] (early 1800s) onwards commonly used four horns. Here, the first and second horns played as a pair (first horn being high, second horn being low), and the third and fourth horns played as another pair (third horn being high, fourth horn being low).

Music written for the modern horn follows a similar pattern with the first and third horns being high and the second and fourth horns being low. This configuration serves multiple purposes. It is easier to play high when the adjacent player is playing low and vice versa. Pairing makes it easier to write for horns, as the third and fourth horns can take over from the first and second horns or play contrasting material. For example, if the piece is in C minor, the first and second horns might be in C, the tonic major key, which could get most of the notes, and the third and fourth horns might be in E{{music|flat}}, the relative major key, to fill in the gaps.

Many orchestral horn sections in the 2010s also have an assistant<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ericson |first1=John |title=Horn Sections with and Without an associate principal |url=http://hornmatters.com/2010/03/horn-sections-with-and-without-an-associate-principal/ |access-date=14 January 2012 |date=28 March 2010|language=English }}</ref> who doubles the first horn part for selected passages, joining in loud parts, playing instead of the principal if there is a first horn solo approaching, or alternating with the principal if the part is tiring to play.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bacon |first1=Thomas |title=The Horn Section |url=http://www.hornplanet.com/hornpage/museum/articles/associate.html |access-date=14 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081850/http://www.hornplanet.com/hornpage/museum/articles/associate.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |language=English |url-status=live}}</ref> Often the assistant is asked to play a passage after resting a long time. Also, he or she may be asked to enter in the middle of a passage, exactly matching the sound, articulation, and overall interpretation of the principal, thus enabling the principal horn to rest a bit.