The Black Horn
eBook - PDF

The Black Horn

The Story of Classical French Hornist Robert Lee Watt

  1. 301 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

The Black Horn

The Story of Classical French Hornist Robert Lee Watt

About this book

The Black Horn: The Story of Classical French Hornist Robert Lee Watt tells the story of the first African American French Hornist hired by a major symphony in the United States. Today, few African Americans hold chairs in major American symphony orchestras, and Watt is the first in many years to write about this uniquely exhilarating—and at times painful—experience.

The Black Horn chronicles the upbringing of a young boy fascinated by the sound of the French horn. Watt walks readers through the many obstacles of the racial climate in the United States, both on and off stage, and his efforts to learn and eventually master an instrument little considered in the African American community. Even the author's own father, who played trumpet, sought to dissuade the young classical musician in the making. He faced opposition from within the community—where the instrument was deemed by Watt's father a "middle instrument suited only for thin-lipped white boys"—and from without. Watt also documented his struggles as a student at a nearly all-white major music conservatory, as well as his first job in a major symphony orchestra after the conservatory canceled his scholarship.

Watt subsequently chronicles his triumphs and travails as a musician when confronting the realities of race in America and the world of classical music. This book will surely interest any classical musician and student, particularly those of color, seeking to grasp the sometimes troubled history of being the only "black horn."

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Yes, you can access The Black Horn by Robert Lee Watt in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Classical Music. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Contents
  2. Acknowledgments
  3. Ch01. Prelude
  4. Ch02. Early Memories
  5. Ch03. Back to Asbury Park
  6. Ch04. Left Back
  7. Ch05. First Love
  8. Ch06. Music Chose Me
  9. Ch07. Adolescent Secrets
  10. Ch08. A Random Blessing
  11. Ch09. First Date
  12. Ch10. Pleasure and Pain
  13. Ch11. Lessons in Life
  14. Ch12. My Great Escape
  15. Ch13. First Sweet Victory
  16. Ch14. Tension
  17. Ch15. Welcome to the World
  18. Ch16. Music Camp and the Boston Pops
  19. Ch17. Best Summer
  20. Ch18. Turning Pro
  21. Ch19. Musical Adventures
  22. Ch20. Tanglewood
  23. Ch21. The Musical Mountain
  24. Ch22. First Auditions
  25. Ch23. Madness!
  26. Ch24. The Los Angeles Philharmonic
  27. Ch25. The Dream
  28. Ch26. Black Los Angeles
  29. Ch27. Deeper into the Dream
  30. Ch28. Emotional Highs and Lows
  31. Ch29. To Viet Nam?
  32. Ch30. On with Life
  33. Ch31. Fear of Flying
  34. Ch32. Japan
  35. Ch33. A New Black Player and the Ark
  36. Ch34. Leave the LA Philharmonic?
  37. Photospread
  38. Ch35. What We Fear the Most
  39. Ch36. Conversations with Jerome Ashby
  40. Ch37. Challenged by a Peer
  41. Ch38. Give It Up
  42. Ch39. My Sandbox Buddy
  43. Ch40. Where Had He Been All My Life?
  44. Ch41. Who Was He, Really?
  45. Ch42. Tales from the Symphony
  46. Ch43. Final Revelations
  47. Ch44. The New Brass Ensemble and Adventures with Madame
  48. Ch45. More European Adventures
  49. Ch46. A Black Brass Quintet in Finland?
  50. Ch47. Enchanting Encounters
  51. Ch48. What I Live For
  52. Ch49. “It’s Good to Be Negro!”
  53. Ch50. Missing Miles
  54. Ch51. Salzburg Festival
  55. Finale
  56. Appendix. List of Negro Musicians Compiled by the New York Philharmonic (April 1969)
  57. Index
  58. About the Author