tromj

I heard Charlie Schleuter do it on Flumpet at Carnegie Hall. when I went to see him backstage after the show, he told me that he had to carry a Cuesnon offstage and then switch to his Flumpet backstage for appearences sake. It sounded like it was coming from heaven.

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Bach 37
Yamaha 8310Z
Yamaha 631 Flugel
Getzen 850 Cornet
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Monette B1-5M, B1-5F, B1-5D cornet, Stork 3P, Monette C1-5M

nieuwguyski

"Monette Rotary Posthorn designed for Charlie Schlueter – BSO Mahler III"

Summer 2001 Newsletter

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John N. Nieuwguyski

Johntpt

The old BSO-Leinsdorf recording features Ghitalla playing a posthorn, also the new Philharmonia recording with Ben Zander features Alastair Mackie playing a Viennese rotary posthorn owned by Zander (imagine that - the conductor shows up and gives you an instrument for the Posthorn solo!). However, he sounds great - in fact Zander's entire cycle is some of the best Mahler out there.

JU

trumpetnick

Actually,
The initial question was about the original instrument that mahler wrote for. It is still a bit unclear to me wether the posthorn in mahler's time was a valved instrument or not. I am sure that it sounds great on all these instruments (myself I prefere playing it on B flat cornet though playing on C trumpet is easier) like cornets, c trumpets, flumpets, valved corno di caccia, flugelhorn (I have never heard it on this instrument but seems like worthed trying), Monette's posthorn etc.

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Spada Bach B flat 72, leadpipe 2L/DWMM1.5C
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1956 Olds Ambassador Cornet
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Johntpt

The initial question was does anyone know of performances or recordings using a posthorn, and that has been answered. About which instrument did Mahler write for, this is what conductor Ben Zander writes in the liner notes to his recording:

"The three-valved post horn in B-flat used on this recording was found in a shop in Vienna and is an exact replica of an instrument in the Austrian Musical Instrument Museum that would have been in use at the time of the symphony's compositions. In the autograph score of 1896 Mahler's word "trumpet" is scratched out by the composer and the word Flugelhorn is clearly legible. "Der Postillon" (mailcoach driver) and "wie die Weise eines Posthorns" (in the manner of a post horn) appear above the solo. The first edition indicated Flugelhorn for the solo, but all later editions call for the Post horn. So, it appears that at some point in between, Mahler changed his mind."

The music is clearly written for a valved instrument as the chromatic notes could not have been played on a valveless instrument, say the one written for in Mozart's Posthorn Serenade. To me it seems that the performer and conductor should decide together which instrument sounds best and makes for the best performance. Certainly there has been more than one trumpeter who has walked off stage holding one instrument for the conductor to see, only to grab another backstage that the player deemed more appropriate.

JU

trumpetnick

John,
Thanks for that quotation. I judged necessary to explain why I asked the question in the first place. I enjoyed all comments and probably if a conductor ask me to do it on a different instrument that the one I have chosen I will agree, but wanted to know what instrument Mahler had in mind. This was a period music question in my head. Thanks guys!

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Spada Bach B flat 72, leadpipe 2L/DWMM1.5C
Spada Bach C 256, leadpipe 2LQ/DWMM1.5C
1956 Olds Ambassador Cornet
Spada Custom Piccolo

If you don't know where you are going, you 'll end up someplace else

stchasking

"valved corno di caccia"
That is the name I was looking for. Thank you for posting!

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"I was performing professionally at age 17 and have never had a real job." Allen Vizzutti

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JJ

FYI, Adolf Holler plays a posthorn on the recent Bernstein dvd with the VPO and Christa Ludwig.

JJ

Spleeyah!

I, too, will throw out some love for Phil Smith's excerpt cd.

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra put out a Mahler 3 recording back in 1998, and if I remember the 'lineage' correctly I believe Jeff Curnow was prin. trumpet then, and I think he plays that solo on posthorn on that particular recording. Sounds great, whatever he played on!!

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Jimi Michiel

Those of you who know Ben Zander may find this entertaining:

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-Jimi

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