I have just put down the subject book “I Found My Horn”.  Indeed, I only put it down because I had finished it.  A hugely entertaining and informative book.  Written by Jasper Rees and based on a year in his life where he did what the title of the book states.

From the ages 10 to 17 Jasper studied the French Horn.  Then gave it up for reasons I will let him explain in the book.  Twenty odd years later he dug out his horn and failrly soon after attended the annual conference of the British Horn Society.  At that event he vowed, to himself, that the very next year he would stand up in front of the assembled members, many of whom are prominent professionals, and perform movements from Mozart’s 3rd Horn Concerto.

What follows is an engrossing story of events during the year.  It covers the work he did talking about horn playing with current principal horn players from many of the worlds best orchestras, his own development and many other things that happened along his musical journey.  This narrative is creatively interspersed with stories about horn playing and players of the past, details of the development of the horn, composers who influenced its development, and a lot of other stuff.

It is of interest not just to those learning, in his words, “the most difficult orchestral instrument”, but anybody who is learning music.  You may ask whether in the end did he play the solo at the next BHS conference and, if so, how did he get on?

Well I am not going to tell you for 2 reasons.  Firstly I don’t believe in telling the ending of stories and secondly to understand the answer you have to follow Jasper on his journey.

Derrick.