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Horn Audition Requirements

Applicants to the Horn Studio for an undergraduate program in the WVU School of Music are encouraged to prepare the following:

All Applicants for Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies degrees:

  1. Two contrasting musical selections, i.e., one fast and/or technical in nature and one slow and lyrical. The music should highlight the applicant’s current playing abilities and musical strengths. Possible choices could include, but are not limited to, the following repertoire:
  • Solo Works:
    • W. A. Mozart - Concerto No. 2, 3, or 4
    • Richard Strauss - Concerto No. 1, Op. 11
    • Franz Strauss - Nocturno, Op. 7 or Concerto, Op. 8
    • L. van Beethoven - Sonata for Horn and Piano
    • Paul Dukas - Villanelle
    • C. Saint-Saëns - Morceau de Concert
  • Etudes demonstrating fundamental skills, e.g., articulation, left-hand technique, slurs, phrasing, et cetera.
    • Kopprasch - Sixty Selected Studies, Book 1
    • Maxime-Alphonse - Deux cents études nouvelles, Books 2 - 4
    • Kling - 40 Characteristic Etudes for Horn
    • Pottag & Andraud - 335 Selected Melodious Progressive and Technical Studies for French Horn
    • Max Pottag - Preparatory Melodies to Solo Work for French Horn
  • Standard orchestral audition excerpts (See “Additional Requirements” below for examples)
  • Challenging sections or prominent solos from recently performed concert band literature

All applicants should prepare several major scales and arpeggios in at least two octaves, played both slurred and tongued. Scales may be played using a rhythmic pattern of the applicant’s choosing.

Additional Requirements for Bachelor of Music in Horn Performance

In addition to the above, applicants for the BM in Horn Performance should prepare three excerpts selected from the standard orchestral literature that demonstrate a wide range of skills on the instrument. Excerpts could be chosen from, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Beethoven - Symphony No. 3, Movement III, Trio, mm. 171 - 205 (Horn 2)
  • Beethoven - Symphony No. 9, Movement IV, mm. 82 - 100 (Horn 4)
  • Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “Nocturne”, m. 1 through Rehearsal A (Horn 1)
  • Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3, Movement II, mm. 48 - 67 (Horn 3)
  • Ravel - Pavane pour une infante défunte, mm. 1 - 11 (Horn 1)
  • Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5, Movement I, Rehearsal 17 - 21 (Horn 1)
  • Strauss - Till Eulenspiegel, mm. 6 - 20 (Horn 1)
  • Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5, Movement II, mm. 8 - 28 (Horn 1)
  • Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5, Movement II, mm. 8 - 28 (Horn 1)

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