Hunting music

What it means

Hunting music denotes the historical, courtly wind music that musically accompanied and signalled the course of a hunt. With horns, the start, stages, and end of the hunt as well as the killing of the quarry were announced.

Musical use

Especially in the French and central European parforce hunt of the 17th and 18th centuries, an extensive repertoire of fixed signals developed, by which hunters and horn players made themselves understood over great distances. These signals, including the halali marking the end of the hunt, rested on the notes of the harmonic series, since the horns used still had no valves. Hunting music also influenced art music: composers took up horn calls and hunting rhythms in symphonies, operas, and chamber music to evoke rural or courtly hunting scenes.

Hunting music should be distinguished from a single signal such as the halali, which forms only a part of the whole repertoire, and from military music, which uses similar wind sounds for other purposes, such as commands and marches. It also differs from art music with hunting motifs, since that only imitates the actual signalling function.

Performance practice

When engaging with hunting music, listen for the clear, far-carrying melodic style of the signals, built from few natural notes. Compare different signals to distinguish their respective function, such as setting out, finding, or ending the hunt.