Neue Alphornmusik Fritz Köll

4 Alphörner gleicher Stimmung

Ensemble-Time Band 54
Alphorn-Fanfare
festlicher Einzug
Alphorn-Gruß
Scherzino
Gebet
Alphorn-Ländler
Abschied
Freudenruf

Preface
New Alphorn Music Fritz Koell Compositions for the horn have a very special significance
in the creativity of the Munich composer, Fritz Koell. It is therefore no surprise that
through his work with this instrument, so rich in natural tones, he has also come in
contact with the alphorn. Being limited to the first 16. pitches (in this case, the first 12.)
of the tone range of the harmonic series and still composing pleasant contemporary
music, must have been a particularly exciting challenge for Fritz Koell. This challenge
ultimately led him to compose the eight pieces of this edition. Koell's sound pattern is
based on well-definid rhythmics and the use of the seventh natural tone, the latter
normally being unthinkable in traditional alphorn music. Koell frequently separates each
of two pairs of horns such that they play in response to each other. Hence, to achieve
the effect intended by the composer, the two groups must play at a distance from each
other. Since most alphorn ensembles aremade up of amateurs, the composer has been
accordingly mindful of the technical feasibility of his pieces. Here he has, without questions,
enriched the otherwise meagre repertoire of music for the alphorn.

Translated by Margaret Andergassen