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The Christmas Post (Brass Band with Post Horn feature)
Hermann König / Arr. Ed Keeley
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Hermann König composer
We know from the history of British military music that England was obviously of great attraction to German musicians in the 19th century. This also applies to Herman Koenig, who also came to England in the first half of the 19th century, where he stood out as a soloist on the cornet and also became famous for activities in the field of instrument making. Finally, he also became known as a composer.
Koenig played in the Drury Lane Orchestra in London in 1840 and probably also in the years thereafter. Later he worked with the instrument dealer Pask; their firm was called Pask & Koenig. Although he spent most of his life in Europe, he also lived for some time in the United States of America, for in 1853 he followed the then well-known French composer and conductor Louis Jullien to America. Jullien had personally selected 27 musicians with whom he went to America to form an orchestra; in New York, the "European core" was joined by another 100 American musicians. Herman Koenig returned to Europe together with Jullien in 1854.
For the following years, we only know of Koenig's activities in the field of instrument making. In 1855, for example, he developed the König horn in F for the French instrument maker Antoine Courtois and, between 1856 and 1858, two different cornet models, also for Courtois.
Experts still praise Herman Koenig's skills as a cornet virtuoso in various publications. Koenig himself was of the opinion that the cornet could compete with the human voice if "it was played skilfully and treated accordingly".
Of the relatively few compositions that Herman Koenig left us, his "Posthorn Gallop" remains the best known, for it is still played today on a wide variety of occasions. Herman Koenig himself was the soloist of the Gallop at its premiere in 1844 on the occasion of a winter promenade concert in Covent Garden. His attitude to the post horn in general is remarkable: he clearly preferred the sound of the German post horn, but advised his students to practise on the smaller English post horn, as this would increase the adaptability of the embouchure as well as the technical agility.
Koenig played in the Drury Lane Orchestra in London in 1840 and probably also in the years thereafter. Later he worked with the instrument dealer Pask; their firm was called Pask & Koenig. Although he spent most of his life in Europe, he also lived for some time in the United States of America, for in 1853 he followed the then well-known French composer and conductor Louis Jullien to America. Jullien had personally selected 27 musicians with whom he went to America to form an orchestra; in New York, the "European core" was joined by another 100 American musicians. Herman Koenig returned to Europe together with Jullien in 1854.
For the following years, we only know of Koenig's activities in the field of instrument making. In 1855, for example, he developed the König horn in F for the French instrument maker Antoine Courtois and, between 1856 and 1858, two different cornet models, also for Courtois.
Experts still praise Herman Koenig's skills as a cornet virtuoso in various publications. Koenig himself was of the opinion that the cornet could compete with the human voice if "it was played skilfully and treated accordingly".
Of the relatively few compositions that Herman Koenig left us, his "Posthorn Gallop" remains the best known, for it is still played today on a wide variety of occasions. Herman Koenig himself was the soloist of the Gallop at its premiere in 1844 on the occasion of a winter promenade concert in Covent Garden. His attitude to the post horn in general is remarkable: he clearly preferred the sound of the German post horn, but advised his students to practise on the smaller English post horn, as this would increase the adaptability of the embouchure as well as the technical agility.
