Duo no. 9 for two horns, KV 487: Menuetto

About this work

Duet no. 9, K. 487 is titled Menuetto. Its compact form alternates almost homorhythmic phrases with passages in which the lower part gains motion while the upper voice sustains or closes. Repeats clearly divide the successive sections.
Give each upbeat a direction
The dance character depends more on clear upbeats and well-shaped cadences than on a heavy accent on every first beat. Practise the openings together, then place breaths after the arrival points so that the motion is never interrupted.
When both horns move in the same rhythm, tune the intervals first. In more mobile passages, give the bass as much presence as the upper line. A steady tempo and differentiated repeats reveal the structure of this concise piece. The PDF and MIDI file present its complete course on one page.
Han-Wen Nienhuys prepared this engraving, which is distributed in the public domain by the Mutopia Project. More horn scores are gathered on LesPartitions.info.