It is in the autumn that hunters traditionally honor their

patron saint, either in the open air or in fine church

acoustics. Since the nineteenth century the custom has

been to celebrate such masses completely without song

� and at the most with the organ occasionally engaging

in harmonic dialogue with the horns. The German

Natural Horn Soloists, continuing this tradition, have

recorded some of the most splendid masses by Gustave

Rochard, Tyndare, Albert Sombrun, and Jules Cantin in

honor of St. Hubert, in part for the first time on Parforce

horns.

Essential Equipment

A gun, a hunting dog, and a horn form the hunter�s

essential equipment. The horn experienced its greatest

flourishing as a court orchestral instrument during the

later years of the seventeenth century. It was then that

Marquis Marc Antoine de Dampierre was the principal

hornist and director of the hunt at the court of Louis XIV.

His proficiency on the horn was legendary, and his works

today continue to stamp the image of this instrument.

Effective Expansion

St. Hubert�s masses were composed mostly around 1900

and initially mostly in France. By this time the

performance site had long been transferred to church

settings, thus enabling organists operating in the French

romantic tradition to expand the tonal spectrum of the

horns with free improvisations. The earliest extant

melodies are by Hubert Obry. The �Domine Deus,� a

piece running like a red thread through all four

compositions on this recording, also probably goes back

to him. In the �Les Cloches� (The Bells) natural horns

come amazingly close to reproducing the ringing of

church bells.

Finest in the Field

The German Natural Horn Soloists are regarded as the

absolute specialists in the field of valveless-horn

performance. Their previous recordings display the most

intimate familiarity with historical performance practice

and are marked by boundless virtuosity. It is thus no

surprise that they are welcome guests at festive hunting

events of all kinds. Johannes Michel, the church music

director at Christ Church in Mannheim, is their partner on

the historic Steinmeyer organ of 1911.

�The result is a thrilling ride. The virtuoso players can

also tail the sound away to a virtual whisper. [...] The

sound is tremendous: a huge dynamic range and sense

of space is rendered, with just a hint of the outdoors.

Thoroughly recommended� (Early Music Review).