Duvernoy / Dauprat / Boieldieu: Music for Horn and Harp

Featuring

Sören Hermansson
Erica Goodman
Frédéric Nicolas Duvernoy
Louis-François Dauprat
Gaspare Spontini
Giovanni Paisiello

François-Adrien Boïeldieu
Nicolas Charles Bochsa
Henri Chaussier

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Composer Biography

Robert Nicolas Charles Bochsa, a French composer and harp virtuoso, was involved in fraud and sexual intrigue, fleeing France to London and later embarking on a world tour after his scandals.

Historical Context

The period 1750-1850 was considered the "golden age" of the horn as a solo instrument, largely due to the development of hand-stopping technique by German hornist Hampel around 1750.

Performer Biography

Harpist Erica Goodman was invited to play at the White House for President John F. Kennedy in 1962 and made her solo debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1969.

Composer Biography

Frédéric Duvernoy, a horn professor at the Paris Conservatoire and member of the Opera Orchestra, was appointed first horn in Napoleon's Chapelle de Musique, a position he held until 1830.

Interpretation

Two pieces on this album, by Boieldieu and Paisiello, are performed on a hand horn to recreate the sound of the music from its original time.

Compositional Technique

Bochsa's Second Nocturne for Horn and Harp includes an inscription detailing the use of a glass ball in the horn's bell to create echo effects, an early example of a mute.