Barry Tuckwell was one of the world's leading horn virtuosos. Here, he tells the history of the horn, deals with the difficulties of building and maintaining the instrument, and provides useful advice on all aspects of learning, practising and playing for the beginner, amateur and teacher.

Barry Tuckwell was, until his retirement, one of the world's leading horn virtuosos and thus eminently suited to writing this Guide. This versatile musician combines a soloists experience, an orchestral player's inside knowledge and a conductor's broad view of the horn and its music. He tells the fascinating story of the taming of the horn from a loud, rough signalling instrument to one that is mellow and emotive - described by Schumann as the soul of the orchestra. The history of the horn we know today is closely related to technical developments both in playing and in writing, and with a wealth of musical examples Barry Tuckwell tells us of these changes and the people who made them. He then deals with the difficulties of building and maintaining this difficult instrument, providing invaluable insights into the practicalities of the craft. Useful advice is given on all aspects of learning, practising and playing for the beginner, amateur and teacher. Finally the reader is given the benefit of an inside view of the life of a professional horn player, whether rehearsing, recording or performing live down to so basic (and easily overlooked) a consideration as fatigue - the players' need to spread the load - the explanation for what often seems to the concert-goer to be one more horn player than is necessary.