The Art of the Posthorn primarily qualifies as a novelty album and as documentation of a significant European musical tradition that has virtually vanished, and considered as such, it succeeds very well. Horns were among the most conspicuous musical instruments in European daily life long before they became common in the concert hall. They were used in connection with a variety of activities, including the military and firefighting, as well as coach travel, the hunt, and athletic and civic events. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries they were most commonly associated with mail delivery -- hence the name posthorn. In many areas, proficiency on the posthorn was a requirement for all postal carriers, and in Paris, instruction on the instrument was central to the training program for postal workers. King Maximilian II of Bavaria required his mail carriers to perform a variety of songs in addition to the basic postal calls, for the entertainment of the public.
This album includes both traditional postal signals and concert music written or arranged for the posthorn. The earliest posthorns were limited to playing the notes of the harmonic series, but later models included valves or tone-holes, allowing them to play more notes. Trumpeter
Douglas Hedwig performs on a variety of original instruments with panache, with a broader expressive range than might have been thought possible on instruments of such limited technical possibilities. Pianist Jorge Parodi capably accompanies him in pieces by Mozart, Michael Haydn, and Louis Spohr, among others. This may not be an album that one listens to repeatedly for pure pleasure, but it's an intriguing and attractively produced document of a nearly forgotten musical tradition.