Instruments | French Horn | Late Romantic | Classical

The nineteenth century saw several attempts at remaking the French horn when a valved horn along the lines of the trumpet competed with an omnitonic horn. The latter looks like a bowl of spaghetti and includes enough tubing for the instrument to be played in any key. The problem was controlling the tubing: models with various kinds of valving were tried. Rotary valves, which are to be found in the modern instrument, were only one of several available systems until some way into the twentieth century. While the piston valve works as a plunger, the rotary valve is operated by a lever and the internal mechanism swivels, not unlike a stopcock.

Styles & Forms | Late Romantic | Classical
Instruments | Wagner Tuba | Late Romantic | Classical

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