Further Information concerning Metallic Mutes for French Horns

Author(s): Christian Ahrens

Source: The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 61 (Apr., 2008), pp. 322-323
Published by: Galpin Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25163941
Accessed: 06-05-2018 23:45 UTC

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 The Galpin Society Journal

Notes & Queries

Further Information Concerning Metallic Mutes

for French Horns
In 2007 I had the chance to report on sources remains vague, and as long as no original instruments
of information about the use of metal mutes in surface and/or no replicas are experimented with,
French horns in the early eighteenth century.1 speculation will persist. However, this much seems
That report included a picture (fig. 1, p. 221 and certain: the mutes were not pushed into the bell
fig. 2, p. 119 in the colour section) of a Haltenhof manually and then fixed to it in order to be pulled
horn showing scratch marks that in all likelihood out again later, nor were they made from a single
derived from such mutes. Closer scrutiny of this piece. Instead, they remained in the bell after they
pictorial document prompted further inquiry into had been inserted, and only a part of the damper
what exactly might have caused these marks, for if mechanism was moved by means of levers or, to
mutes were shaped comparably to those in use today, be more precise, by means of a damper spring
it seems inconceivable that their use should have left that would push the movable part of the damper
so many and such deep marks, especially since they mechanism back into its original position. In this
extend far into the heavily expanded part of the bell. way, the horn player could, supposedly, increase and
An excerpt from a receipt issued by the Gotha court decrease the muting effect gradually. This is, by the
metalworker, Gr?fenstein, dated 1738, proves that way, in perfect accord with the aesthetic conception
indeed, mutes in French horns were formed in an of some of the instrumental movements in birthday
altogether different way: cantatas by Gottfried Heinrich Stoelzel (even if none
Auf Hoch F?rstl: Gn?digsten Befehl habe in ein baar of the scores of that time explicitly require the use
[Paar] neue Walthorn vor Hoch F?rstl. Walthornisten of horn mutes), but contradictory to the popular
t?mpfung [D?mpfung] verfertiget da? man durch idea of the supposedly 'specifically Baroque' terrace
einen tr?cker [Dr?cker] vermittelst einigen federn dynamics. The mutes probably remained in the bell
den Thon oder Laut d?mpfen kan daran verdient a 2 throughout a given piece, with their parts being
thlr: [Thaler] 16 gl. [Gr.; Groschen]: 5 thlr: 8 gl: continually moved back and forth as needed. This
Gotha, d: 8ten could account for the scratch marks. Along with
Martij. 1738 the fact that the said Gotha metalworker produced
[On the most merciful order of the duke I have a mobile device intended to ease handling and at the
manufactured mutes for a pair of new French same time regulate the damping effect (an invention
horns for the duke's French horn players, so that by that, in fact, he himself might have come up with),
pushing a lever they can mute the tone or sound by the nature and size of the scratches prove that such
means of some springs. Earned respectively 2 Thlr: constructions were used in actual practice.
16 Gr.: 5 Thlr: 8 Gr.: Gotha, March 8, 1738] Markus Raquet from the Germanisches National
Ultimately, the information regarding the actual museum N?rnberg, to whom I am much indebted,
shape of the mutes to be gleaned from this quote draws my attention to the famous portrait (dating

1 Christian Ahrens, 'Metallic Mutes Used in the Eighteenth Century', Galpin Society Journal 60, (2007), pp.221-24.

322

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 Notes & Queries 323
from 1800) of the French horn player Fr?d?ric
Duvernoy (see illustration: ? Biblioth?que nationale
de France. Photo Jean-Marc Angles). Duvernoy is shown
with his cor solo having a giant mute fixed in the bell
without being supported by the player. It could well be
a mute of a similar kind to the one in the documents
from Gotha.
At least as important as the information about
the mute itself is the confirmation of approval of the
metalworker's services, and the necessity of those
services. Repairs of musical instruments of the court
chapel were usually confirmed by the concertmaster
or chapel-master, but in this case a higher official
(the privy councillor) took care of it. His statement
indicates the background for this unusual measure:
the duke himself had given the order in question.
This suggests the duke must have taken a personal
interest in the musical outcome, which in turn
suggests that he had heard and appreciated such
sounds before. This confirmation of approval, as
found in the invoice, reads as follows:
Da? obige Arbeit auff Ser. [Serenissimi] gndst.
Special Befehl von den jung. Gr?fenstein verfertiget
worden, attestire hierdurch. Es ist aber selbiger
gehalten, daferne noch was an denen H?rnern zu
?ndern ist, solches gleichfalls ohne weitres Entgeld
zu verfertigen / F. [R.] Bechtolsheim
[I hereby attest that on the duke's merciful special
order said work was seen to by the young Gr?fenstein.
But the latter is required to alter the horns without
further compensation if it should prove necessary.
F. [R.] Bechtolsheim]
This document demonstrates that French horn
mutes were used in Gotha. The metalworker was
even legally obligated to provide, without additional
pay, any alterations to the technical construction
that should turn out to be necessary in the course
of its use (or perhaps during testing?). There is a
sound basis for assuming that the chapel-master
responsible, Stoelzel, wrote music in which the
characteristic sound effect of muted horns was
brought to full effect; after all, it was among his
primary duties to provide a musical repertory that
would make use of any newly acquired instruments
or devices (such as mutes).2 Moreover, evidently the
new mutes and their sound were received favourably
in Gotha, for on 11 October of the same year
Gr?fenstein was ordered to alter the existing mutes
in keeping with the above-mentioned approval. The
invoice in question reads as follows:
2 There were many at that time in Gotha; see Christian Ahrens, 'The Inventory of the Gotha Court Orchestra in
1750', Galpin Society Journal 60 (2007), pp.37-44.
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Auf gn?digsten b
habe in zwey Wa
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2 fl. [Fl; Gulden] 8
mod. [modifiziert]
ist richtig bezahlt
Gr?fenstein
wird attestirt, da? die D?mpfer ver?ndert worden.
GHSt?lzel
[On most merciful order of His Excellency I have
altered the mutes of two French horns. Earned /
2 fl. [florin] 8 gl. / changed to 2 fl. 6 gl. [=2 Thlr.] /
orderly paid / Gr?fenstein / I attest that the mutes
were altered. / G. H. Stoelzel]
So in connection with this new musical fashion,
money was no object at the Gotha court, which,
given Duke Friedrich Ils special interest, is not
surprising. French horns, their mutes and the
musical effects resulting from their use seem to have
been a 'matter for the executive floor' at the court.
All the more striking is that not a single musical
source from those times has been found in which
the usage of mutes is indicated?an explanation of
which might be that this was a playing technique
whose practice did not necessarily need reflection
in the musical text?and that by the time of the
premi?re of Mozart's Idomeneo in Munich in 1781,
knowledge about the use of French horn mutes had
largely vanished.
CHRISTIAN AHRENS