What does Jagdhornverein mean?

“Hunting-horn society”.

Who are you?

Jagdhornverein Twin Cities (JVTC) was formed in 2025 by a group of area horn players who are interested in and motivated to explore the hunting horn and its repertoire on true parforce horn instruments. The goals of JVTC are to give its members opportunities to play, learn about, and enjoy this music with others, and to share it with the greater community whenever possible. JVTC currently operates as an independent affiliate of the Twin Cities Horn Club.

What is a parforce horn?

“Parforce horn” is the contemporary term denoting a natural (i.e., no valves) horn constructed in a large open loop and with a large, flared bell. It is the “living fossil” descendent of hunting horns used from about the late 17th century onward. The term “parforce” comes from the historical “hunt par force” employing large groups (i.e., in force) on horseback, who used horns to signal to each other across open distances. Over centuries and geographical migration, the original hunting horns gradually evolved into the concert horn as found today in modern orchestras and bands.

Is there a lot of music for hunting horns?

Yes. There are written compositions dating from at least 1725, and new pieces are still being written today. There are commonly single-part, two-part, three-part, and four-part compositions. Musical styles range from fanfares and marches to church music, with many points in-between.

Who plays them today?

Hunting-horn societies of one kind or another are widely found in western Europe, especially the French- and German-speaking countries and some adjacent lands. The players are usually everyday citizens. In 2020, the traditional playing of hunting horns was recognized as Intangible Cultural Heritage and was included on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage, a function of UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Are there a lot of hunting horn ensembles in the United States?

We don’t think so. We think this is primarily because the instruments themselves are not/have not been commonly found in the United States. Hunting horn music can be played on “regular” concert horns so it’s not necessarily that the music itself is entirely unknown or not played here, but true parforce-type instruments generally are scarce in this country.

Where or how did you get your instruments?

Modern parforce horns are manufactured by many instrument-building concerns, mainly in Europe. Used instruments are occasionally found for sale in the USA as well. As of early 2024, the average price of a new instrument was $1400 USD. Apart from the cost of the instrument itself, shipping can be a challenge due to the instrument’s size & proportions. Most of the instruments in use by current JVTC players were purchased and shipped from Europe in the last 12 months from the German firm of MTP Music GmbH & Co. KG, which has developed a unique instrument with a detachable bell that makes shipping and transport more practical.

You said it has no valves, but I see there is one.

Yes, some models of the modern parforce horn are made with a single change valve to switch the instrument between the keys of E-flat and B-flat. Most often the instrument is played in E-flat. Sometimes, however, parforce horns are joined by a related instrument called the Fürst-Pless horn, which is a small, tightly-coiled instrument that is in B-flat. The change valve allows the same parforce horns to play in B-flat alongside the Fürst-Pless horns. It is possible to get a parforce horn that is built only in E-flat or only in B-flat, but the change valve allows one instrument to handle both jobs. Regardless of key, the different notes are all achieved by the player’s skill and not by pressing buttons on the instrument. It is possible to use the change valve dynamically while playing to help make certain notes be more in tune when playing in E-flat, but it is not required.

I watched some hunting horn videos on YouTube and the players had their backs to the audience, what’s up with that?

This is mainly the French mode of performing on traditional French hunting horns. The French instruments are called trompes de chasse and they are slightly different from parforce horns. A trompe de chasse is in the key of D and has a more tightly-wrapped (i.e., smaller diameter) main loop of tubing. The inside of the bell is sometimes colored black—whether this is for aesthetic or practical reasons is up for debate. Ensembles playing the trompe de chasse typically stand facing away, with the bells pointed directly at the listener. Both the contemporary trompe de chasse and the contemporary parforce horn can be considered direct descendants of the same French instrument, nicknamed the “Dampierre” after the Marquis Marc Anton de Dampierre (1676-1756), that appeared in the early 1700s.