Horns & Hanukkah

Additional notes: The 4th horn call before letter A can be muted instead of stopped. The 1812 Overture quote on measure after letter I can be fortissimo if desired. The Hansel & Gretel quote at letter J can be played at a much slower tempo, returning to original tempo when the clarinets re-enter at the end of the fourth measure. The Mahler quote at the end can be played slightly slower if desired.

Notes from the initial performance We (the DVWS) decided to highlight our "rebellious" horn section for entertainment purposes. My introduction to the piece was as follows. I thought it would be nice to feature our horn section in well-known Hanukkah tunes, such as the Dreidel Song and Rock of Ages. That turned out to be a mistake. You see, horn players are big showoffs. If you are around one for more than a few minutes, you will hear some type of orchestral excerpt. When they saw what I was writing, they said "that will never do." "Why not?" I asked. "It doesn't show us off enough." So, after some negotiation, we reached the following compromise - the horns would play the Hanukkah tunes with us for the first half of the piece, and they could play whatever they wanted in the second half. In this piece, you will also hear traditional Hanukkah sounds such as a marching band, a music box and a fife and drum corps. The idea is to make it sound like the horns have taken over control of the band.