trombone/euphonium, tuba, trumpet/clarinet, and horn. As On the heels of Subito Musics CD-ROM collections of or-
Edwards notes in his introduction: You can never have too chestral music come these new offerings of solos, methods, and
many good tunes to play. Experienced performers know the chamber music featuring the horn. Together, these two vol-
value of a good simple melody. This book provides a wealth umes contain around 200 works by about 110 composers com-
of melodies for musicians to use as they see fit. prising almost 6000 pages of music. Everything included here
The book is divided into five sections. The first, Building is in the public domain (they checked!), ranging from well-
a Foundation, includes 30 original works that Edwards calls known standard repertoire to works long forgotten. Because
Foundation Pieces. Each is intended to focus on a specific these works are in public domain, one can assume that what
element of style. Some of these are presented in multiple keys, has been scanned are early or original editions. Sometimes it
while others have a varied rhythm. The second section, Sing- is nice to see them in this form (like seeing sans les Pistons
ing Smoothly, features 63 legato melodies, many of which are actually appear at the top of Dukas Villanelle), but these are
familiar folk tunes. These, too, are included in multiple keys. not always the cleanest or best to scan for various reasons. That
Section three, Singing with a Bounce, presents melodies that said, however, to have all of these pieces in one place is fan-
are in a detached style. These focus on specific rhythmic or tastic, especially with the opportunity to revive some pieces
metrical elements. The fourth section, Singing with Style, previously forgotten. While some may have deserved this fate,
reinforces the concept of style, and thus the melodies are all it is still nice to have a chance to find out for ourselves.
common and in familiar musical styles. The final section, Fid- The Solo section includes standard recital pieces and con-
dling Around, includes 16 fiddle tunes adapted for wind in- certos (with piano reductions) by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven,
struments. Danzi, Strauss (both), Weber, and more, alongside pieces of
Edwards is clear in what he expects of the user in terms of various lengths and sizes by Abt, Bdecker, Eichborn, Kudel-
both process and outcome. Each section is prefaced by a short ski, Muzio, Spindler, and Zapff, among many others. Most are
introduction that outlines the content and his suggested tips originally for horn and piano, but some transcriptions are also
for using the section. His language is direct and straightfor- included probably part of the collections from which some
ward and he challenges the user to not only strive to achieve of these pieces were taken. The Methods section includes three
the goals he has put forth, but also to be mentally engaged types: exercises to play, by such composers as Maxime-Al-
in the process. Indeed, in several places he asks the reader to phonse, Brahms, Kopprasch, Lambert, Gallay, Schantl, Franz
consider pointed questions of self-assessment. In addition to Strauss, and Dauprat; duets and trios, by Kling, Rasmussen,
these introductory precursors, Edwards is clear and specific Schubert, Trrschmidt, Punto, and others; and full-blown
about how he wants the student to proceed with each exercise. methods by Gallay, Domnich, and Duvernoy in their original
For example, on the first melody in the first section he asks, form (i.e., in French).
Can you sing this? Can you buzz this on your mouthpiece? The Chamber Music volume is a wonderfully eclectic col-
thereby issuing a challenge. He also clearly marks articulations, lection, featuring a large number of wind quintets, as well as
dynamics, and tempos, giving the student all the information horn ensembles of three to six, a few brass pieces, and a sur-
needed to proceed. A mix of both musical and extra-musical prising number of mixed ensembles ranging from the familiar
information (prose) appears on each page. (trios by Brahms and Herzogenberg, piano quintets by Mozart
Other positive points include the organized and accessible and Rimsky-Korsakov, Schuberts Auf dem Strom) to the ob-
format, the easy-to-turn pages, clear text, and the fact that the scure (did anyone know the quintet for horn and strings by
book progresses largely from simpler concepts to more chal- Emil Kreuz? The piano quintets of Franz Spindler, Fritz Vol-
lenging ones. As Edwards notes, a number of concepts can be bach, or Hans Huber?). So much music has been written that
addressed, including rhythm, pitch, intonation, phrasing, and we have never seen or heard of. This volume not only closes
style. It may be easier to reinforce and retain the concepts dis- that gap a tiny bit but also makes me wonder just what else is
cussed due to the relatively short length of each melody; in- out there, sitting in libraries or filing cabinets or boxes waiting
deed, most are shorter in duration than many of our standard to be discovered.
etudes. The fact that this method is based on familiar melodies Admittedly, some of the scans are a bit fuzzy and may
can possibly make the concepts themselves seem more familiar not be useable for performance, but they are all clear enough
and more easily attainable as well. This resource can be used at least for study purposes. Out of curiosity, I compared the
with a wide range of students, from those who are just begin- scanned edition of the Reinecke oboe trio with the new au-
ning to those who could use a refresher or a new way to get thoritative edition sent by Breitkopf & Hrtel (reviewed below)
back to the basics. Heidi Lucas, University of Southern Mississippi (HL) and found it to look just like my old International edition the
score was similar and the parts had the same mistakes. Hav-
ing these older versions does not, in my mind, preclude own-
ing newer (and, in some cases, better) editions, but for trying
From Subito Music Corporation, 60 Depot Street, Verona NJ them out, this is well worth the relatively minimal expense.
07044; subitomusic.com. Created by CD Sheet Music and distributed For both volumes, access the Table of Contents on the Subito
by Hal Leonard. Music website. It is pretty amazing! An added bonus, in both
Horn Solos, Studies & Methods: The Ultimate Collection. cases, is the inclusion of entries from the 1911 Grove Diction-
ISBN 1-4584141-51, HL 00220363, 2011, $19.95 ary, a wonderful snapshot of the composers and other related
Horn Chamber Music: The Ultimate Collection. ISBN articles from that time. Check out the entry for Horn very
1-4584141-44, HL 00220362, 2011, $19.95 entertaining to see what people thought about the instrument