In the Star Wars soundtracks, where can I find the sound of a French Horn?

I have never seen a French Horn. I have no idea what one sounds like. Please, at what time in any track in a Star Wars soundtracks would I be able to specifically hear one?

 

Yeah, I'm not too knowledgable on the French Horn either, but I'm quite sure you hear one on the track The Battle Continues on The Phantom Menace soundtrack, at 00:21 and 00:31 filling in the gaps of the Trade Federation March with a "woomp!" type sound.

 

The French Horn is featured in one of the greatest SW cues ever -- Binary Sunset.

 

This is a french horn:

[image=http://www.cnn.com/interactive/career/0103/ny.phil.horn/vert.french.horn.gif]

And you can hear it in the cue Binary Sunset, as noted above.

A french horn is a brass instrument that has a lower pitch than a trumpet and a higher pitch than a tuba or trombone.

 

I played a French Horn for a number of years, and it is my favorite sounding instrument. At the end of RotJ, after Vader's body is burned, there is a slow redition of the Force theme played by a solo French Horn. The piece is called Light of the Force and it's probably my favorite Star Wars cue of all time.

 

Just about every time we hear the Force theme it is played on a French Horn.


Or is it called a Freedom Horn now?

 

Just about every time we hear the Force theme it is played on a French Horn.

I think that's a bit exaggerated.

 

You can hear a whole bunch of French Horns in THE ANVIL OF CROM from the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack.

 

Most times there is a dramatic rendition of the Force theme it is either played by strings or French Horn.

F Horns are actually very, very common in music.

 

Let's see...

Burning Homestead, The Battle of Yavin, The Throne Room, Rescue From Cloud City, Fighting The Destroyer Droids, Anakin Is Free, The Tide Turns...

...lots of Force Theme cues where the French Horn is not the solo/featured insturment.

 

When it's an action que, it's usually the trumpet playing it. When it's dramatic, it's usually either the F Horn or the string section.

 

Sheesh Ken lighten up. Yeah lemme rephrase that for the shark

Just about every time we hear the Force theme on a solo instrument, it's a french horn.

Between this and the grog the other day, Ken, I am starting to think you don't like me...

 

I think you can also hear it when C3PO and R2 are going down to Tattoine in the escape pod...
I'm pretty sure its a french horn anyway, could be some other brass instrument. Correct me if I'm wrong

 

What kind of star wars fans don't know what a horn sounds like? It's not french!!!!!!!
Germans were more into the development of the modern horn. John Williams really loves the horn sound. A lot of the star wars themes have very pronounced horn parts. As a horn player of no modest quality i would say that my favorite horn part would have to be the coronation march from ANH. The very first thing you hear is a bunch of horns. If you are interested in hearing what horns can do then dl music from the "London Horn Sound" CD. Some of the hornists on that Cd are in LSO. In duel of the fates the brass that come right after the clarinets witht the theme are horns. in across the stars the after the string reiteration of the theme there is a beautiful horn part.

 

I agree that the Throne Room opening has some of the best french horn work in all the Saga. Very bold and fun!

 

I believe French Horns can be heard and seen at the same time in the Across the Stars video. Not sure though.

 

John Williams has written some of the greatest parts for Horn ever. If you want to hear more great music by composers who apparently love the Horn, listen to Holst, Dvorak, Wagner or Strauss to name a few. Strauss' 2 Horn concerti usually rank pretty high among Horn players, as do Mozart's 4 Horn concerti.

And to expand on BandJEDI57's statement, the French horn is usually just called the Horn in musical circles. Of course most scores refer to it as "F Horn," not as an abbreviated form of French horn, but because of the key of the instrument.

But anyone who's ever played horn at a symphonic level can tell you that the key of the instrument hardly matters. Often Horn parts are written in the key of C, A, D, Bb and Eb, and require the performer to transpose on the fly. That combined with the instrument's range, the size of the mouthpiece (very small), intonnation issues and many other factors is why Guiness lists the Horn as the most difficult instrument (along with the oboe).

 

The most common key of orchestral music for horn (besides F)is none of the above. The most common is E. It's not the size of the mouthpiece that makes the horn hard to play, it's the deepness of the cup. The horn itself adds to the difficulty. Because of it's long tubing, the horn is able to hit more notes, without pressing any keys, than any other instrument. That coupled with the the use of the left hand instead of the right and the constant use of the right hand to tune, control pitch, provide stability in extreems, and at times a part of the horn as an adddition to the instrument, makes the horn THE most difficult instrument to play in orchestra or band.
Some of the best horn pieces have come from Richard Strauss. Some of his most famous compositions would have to be his 2 horn concertos and hsi tone poems including Ein Heldenleben, Don Juan, Don Quixote, Till Eulenspiegel's Lestuge (something something), Also sprach Zarathustra (famous as the theme from 2001 a space Odessy), and Tod und Verklarung.
The song most asked for in orchestral auditions however is the Shostakovich 5th.
Beethoven is also known for his excellent horn parts in his symphonies.
In band the best composer for horns (one of my personal favorites as a hornist) is David Holsinger.
Tchaikovski(bad sp) also liked the horn sound and the horn had major solos in Cappricio Italian and his famous 1812 overture.
Rossinin known for hsi operas also had some excellent horn parts in pieces like the William Tell Overture and Lagazza Ladra (the thieving magpie)
And i play on a Holton Double horn model number 281 with a detachable rose brass flare.
Is that long enough for you?

 

Um, it's Freedom Horn, thank you very much.

 

There is no such thing in the modern band or symphony as a french horn or the stupid name that pisses me off more, the freedom horn!!!! Absolutely no such thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I think that the restatement of the love theme at the end of Empire Strikes Back is the best French Horn in the score...

Also, if I remember Music Lit right, the French Horn is English, while the English horn is German... ???

 

There may be a french horn in there,but I bet no-one can find a saxophone!

I'm a sax player myself and can't find it anywhere in SW music!
!

 

Actually the Alto Sax part is the French Horn part transposed a key higher. So if you want to do musical figuring, you'll have your part.

It's so easy when you play the violin.

 

Yes,but there is no saxophones in the actual SW scores!

 

That's because saxophones aren't orchestral instruments, but I'm stating the obvious.

You can find the sound of a French Horn thoroughout Across the Stars.