Duo no. 7 for two horns, KV 487: Adagio

About this work

Duet no. 7, K. 487 is a spare Adagio in which silences matter as much as notes. The two horns alternate sustained tones, short answers and a few stepwise runs. With no accompaniment to fill the space, every attack, resolution and release is immediately exposed.
Keep long notes alive
Establish the tuning of arrival points before playing complete phrases. A sustained note should neither fade nor swell by default: keep the air steady and agree on its direction. Coordinate silences and renewed breaths as carefully as attacks, so the phrase continues even when neither horn is sounding.
The one-page PDF contains the complete Adagio and its two repeated sections. The MIDI file helps locate answers and long values. This engraving by Han-Wen Nienhuys is distributed by the Mutopia Project and is in the public domain. Discover more horn music on LesPartitions.info.