You are never too old to try something new.

[enfieldspares]

My Uncle Bill was big into his foxhunting. With the Quorn Hunt and later the Atherstone Hunt. Massive attendance at his funeral back in 1988. Horse drawn hearse, huntsman from the hunt mounted and in scarlet at the end of it. Played his call. My brother ignorant of such asked if it was "Gone away". I just shook my head in disappointment and silently smiled as someone else corrected him. "No. Not "Gone away". "Gone home."

 

[Bavarianbrit]

I met our game dealer at last Saturdays meet, I knew him as he was/is in the other local group that I used to visit and listen to over fifteen years ago until work got in my way. He suggested that I come along to their fortnightly meeting which was last night. I was surprised to learn that they now only play the large Dotzauer Parforcehorn "we have a spare one if you want to come and give it a try but we have no one left to teach you as one teacher has died and the other teacher is almost on his deathbed".
Onward and upward then? The music piece I have in stuck my head from my teen years is the Last Post, I am thinking of going up to my uncles grave in the Soltau Becklingen war cemetery on 11th November just as my last visit there and play it. Would that be disrespectfull? Old service members on here will I am sure know the answer.

 

[Dalua]

Onward and upward then?

Onward and downward, more like! The parforce horns sound an octave lower than the Fürst-Pless if they're Bb ones - though it's more likely the group plays either Eb ones (even lower pitch, extra coil of tube) or ones that can be switched from Eb to Bb - often with a momentary-contact valve, to fill in the gaps in the natural Eb scale. Definitely worth investigating - and a couple of Bb parforce horns joining the F-P to put in the tenor and bass parts at the Streckelegen really do improve the vibe enormously!

Playing the Last Post as a solo in church on Remembrance Sunday is, I think, one of the most nervewracking musical things I do - but practice helps!

 

[8x57]

Very similar to the bugle call Last Post. That gives me chills when I hear the Royal Marines play it on Remembrance Sunday. Last Post

In my case it's not the band of H.M. Royal Marines playing the last post that gets me emotional its them playing Sunset, it really chokes me up.

Incidentally I have a GWP who sings along very loudly to the last post. I just can't shut him up when he hears it. I couldn't possibly take him anywhere on remembrance Sunday where he's likely to hear it for fear of him joining in.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

In my case it's not the band of H.M. Royal Marines playing the last post that gets me emotional its them playing Sunset, it really chokes me up.

Incidentally I have a GWP who sings along very loudly to the last post. I just can't shut him up when he hears it. I couldn't possibly take him anywhere on remembrance Sunday where he's likely to hear it for fear of him joining in.

The Marines band were based in Deal when I lived there and the sounds coming over from practise sessions were nerve tingling.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Hmmm.
Try singing Dannyboy whilst standing in the Connaught Cemetery near Thiepval, France which holds so very many of the fallen of the 36th Division’s (Ulsters) on the Somme on 1st July….

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Hmmm.
Try singing Dannyboy whilst standing in the Connaught Cemetery near Thiepval, France which holds so very many of the fallen of the 36th Division’s (Ulsters) on the Somme on 1st July….

When I was a teacher!! of downs syndrome adults at an adult centre run in Coventry in the early 70s we also had some mentally handicapped attending as there was nowhere else for them to go and one of them would sing Danny Boy three or four times per day, very mournful as I remember.

 

[Wapinschaw]

I met our game dealer at last Saturdays meet, I knew him as he was/is in the other local group that I used to visit and listen to over fifteen years ago until work got in my way. He suggested that I come along to their fortnightly meeting which was last night. I was surprised to learn that they now only play the large Dotzauer Parforcehorn "we have a spare one if you want to come and give it a try but we have no one left to teach you as one teacher has died and the other teacher is almost on his deathbed".
Onward and upward then? The music piece I have in stuck my head from my teen years is the Last Post, I am thinking of going up to my uncles grave in the Soltau Becklingen war cemetery on 11th November just as my last visit there and play it. Would that be disrespectfull? Old service members on here will I am sure know the answer.

That would be a mark of respect and honour. See if you can get someone to video it then post on here.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

An update to the saga. I am now in two blaser (playing) groups, the original one that I used to go to just listen to from 2005ish. I am in it now as a frischlinge player, plus the other one that invited me to come play with them back in February. Things are getting hectic now as the first group want the frischlings to join with them playing in the Hubertusfeier held nearby on 9th November. Then on 6th November the second group are doing practice in a church for their upcoming Hubertusfeier held on 16th November. Then the 2x Xmas chriskindlmarkts we will be supporting both with music. Last Friday the frischling group all went to a local trachten (traditional Bavarian clothing) store to be fitted with matching jackets and waistcoats, that will hurt ££££££££££. But my playing has really improved according to the two music directors. The social aspect of it all with mucho beer & pork etc is nice too.
BTW my vision has also improved which is really noticeable when night driving against modern white light cars I am not so dazzled anymore, it seems the air pressure on trumpet playing is good training for the retina and eye muscles "I had a double cataract procedure done in 2014" and the vision was getting slightly blurred earlier this year.

 

[willie_gunn]

I missed your post first time round, but what a great post and to you for picking up playing an instrument again.

Like you, I played the trumpet (and also euphonium and e-flat horn) at school, playing in a couple of school orchestras and a marching band. I then gave it up when I left school, but bought a French horn a few years ago with the intention of learning again. Sadly all my travelling for work made that a tricky task, so after a few lessons I put it away in the cupboard. That aside, I’m sure you’ll find, like riding a bike, much of that musical competence and familiarity will return, as well as the embouchure necessary for playing a brass instrument.

Mrs G has played all her life - bassoon and contra-bassoon - and the positive impacts that come from playing music are well known, whether cognitive, social, mental or physical. The satisfaction and camaraderie that come from being part of a music ensemble, whether instrumental or vocal, are difficult to find elsewhere.

I’ve picked up a couple of continental hunting horns over the years - one a Furst Pless the other a B&S - but other than an occasional “toot” on Christmas Day they rarely get an outing. It would be fascinating to know what hunts they witnessed in the past!

Please do keep us updated on your progress, and any recordings you can post of your concerts would be really interesting to see and hear.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Happy to. BTW i feel somewhat more mentally alive/aware if that came from playing or the social interactions further away from my village, who knows.

 

[Dalua]

I’ve picked up a couple of continental hunting horns over the years - one a Furst Pless the other a B&S

View attachment 389070

I guess the pocket-horn is the B&S-made one. Fürst Pless (perhaps as stamped on an oval on the bell of other) is the the type of horn rather than the make. It is probably made by Dotzauer or Kühnl & Hoyer, and I think one can tell which from the font used on the oval.

I wonder, do any groups playing these exist in the UK?

 

[Ratel]

My Uncle Bill was big into his foxhunting. With the Quorn Hunt and later the Atherstone Hunt. Massive attendance at his funeral back in 1988. Horse drawn hearse, huntsman from the hunt mounted and in scarlet at the end of it. Played his call. My brother ignorant of such asked if it was "Gone away". I just shook my head in disappointment and silently smiled as someone else corrected him. "No. Not "Gone away". "Gone home."

Very similar when a friend, the late Eric Jack, one time terrierman with Bill Adams at the Atherstone died.
An ex huntsman blew him to ground and Eric's son blew going home as we left the hilltop graveside.
Tears everywhere.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Every hunter here gets "jagd vorbei-Halali" played by the local players at the grave.

Imagine this.

 

[willie_gunn]

I guess the pocket-horn is the B&S-made one. Fürst Pless (perhaps as stamped on an oval on the bell of other) is the the type of horn rather than the make. It is probably made by Dotzauer or Kühnl & Hoyer, and I think one can tell which from the font used on the oval.

I wonder, do any groups playing these exist in the UK?

Thank you - I never realised Furst-Pless was anything other than a make, so every day is indeed a learning day! Not sure if this photo helps identify the maker:



The pocket horn is indeed by B&S - certainly a more evocative name-plate:



Would I be right in thinking these small horns are designed more for using out in the field for signalling during the drive, etc?

 

[enfieldspares]

I revisited this thread and that led down the internet rabbit hole to this video. Princes Risborough which I'd guess is the Bledlow Ridge in the background. The M40 now cuts a way through it. Anyway here's some folks back before Hitler when few knew what was coming before the decade's end.

 

[Dalua]

Thank you - I never realised Furst-Pless was anything other than a make, so every day is indeed a learning day! Not sure if this photo helps identify the maker:

View attachment 389077

The pocket horn is indeed by B&S - certainly a more evocative name-plate:

View attachment 389076

Would I be right in thinking these small horns are designed more for using out in the field for signalling during the drive, etc?

Your Fürst-Pless looks like the font used by Kühnl & Hoyer. At least the horns I've seen made by them use that font, whereas that used by Dotzauer has a more slender appearance - though I'm not sure that's a universal rule: and I don't know what other makers' plates look like (insofar as they have them).

The little one is meant to fit in the pocket of your loden coat, and to be used when carrying a proper one would be inconvenient. Extraordinarily, it has the same pitch as the other - meaning the same length of tube is there, but wound tighter. Also, the necessarily-narrower bore rather affects the tone and presumably the carrying-properties of sound produced.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Thank you - I never realised Furst-Pless was anything other than a make, so every day is indeed a learning day! Not sure if this photo helps identify the maker:

View attachment 389077

The pocket horn is indeed by B&S - certainly a more evocative name-plate:

View attachment 389076

Would I be right in thinking these small horns are designed more for using out in the field for signalling during the drive, etc?

Yes, I gave mine to my pal the vet when I began to train with the Furst-Pless in February.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

I guess the pocket-horn is the B&S-made one. Fürst Pless (perhaps as stamped on an oval on the bell of other) is the the type of horn rather than the make. It is probably made by Dotzauer or Kühnl & Hoyer, and I think one can tell which from the font used on the oval.

I wonder, do any groups playing these exist in the UK?

I have just found a video of the making of a Furst - Pless horn by Dotzauer.

 

[Bavarianbrit]

Re the making of a Furst - Pless horn by Dotzauer. They braze it together rather than soldering it at 600 degrees C.