Ethan Wilkinson
Brass Artist Project- Dennis Brain
Dennis Brain was born in London in 1921. The Brain family was
extremely musical. Dennis took horn lessons from his father, Aubrey
Brain. His uncle and grandfather were also horn players. Brain’s
mother was a singer, doing so well as to sing in Wagner’s Ring
through the 1920’s. Dennis studied music at the same school where
his father taught horn, the Royal Academy of Music. His musical
skill was clear from his first days at school. Other than horn,
Brain excelled in piano, organ, composition, and conducting.
When the war broke out in 1939, Dennis and his brothers enlisted
in the Royal Air Force. Luckily they were able to join the central
band and Uxbridge and soon a large orchestra was formed. While in
the RAF, Dennis formed the Dennis Brain Wind Quartet. He and the
group performed around Europe and had many performances broadcast
on the BBC. When Brain joined the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,
solo repertoire had low priority and importance. Brain’s amazing
playing ability, with almost inhuman articulations, agility, and
tone production, began to bring the solo genre into the
spotlight.
The majority of Brain’s time was spent playing first horn in the
Philharmonia Orchestra. Dennis was the original first horn of this
orchestra which formed in 1945. Walter Legge, the founder of the
Philharmonia wanted an orchestra with varied style, hand-picked
players of the highest quality, and multiple conductors. The
Philharmonia quickly became one of the top ensembles of the world.
The demand on the players to be on their absolute best was
extremely high. Job security was almost none existent and players
never knew if they were going to be hired or fired. Through the
Philharmonia, Dennis Brain’s fame and reputation as a horn player
continued to grow. Because the orchestra wanted to bring in many
different conductors, all highly regarding in the orchestra
community, Brain was able to showcase his talents to a wide variety
of well respected musicians. Brain’s abilities allowed him many
opportunities to solo with the orchestra and truly flaunt his
natural talent.
At a young age, Dennis Brain became the most sought after horn
player in England. Brain was extremely busy with playing so he did
not have a great amount of time to teach. Like many good teachers
and his father before him, Dennis taught by demonstration. His
unique playing ability and sound were so advanced and different
from other players, that even he had a hard time describing how he
played. Dennis’ raw natural talent was so great and specific to him
that his techniques are almost impossible to accurately imitate.
His articulations are perhaps the most intriguing thing about his
playing. It is almost as if he combines both slur and tongue
articulation to create a style all his own. The fluidity with which
he moves from note to note is unparalleled in the horn world.
Brain’s incredible skill motivated many new works to be composed
for horn by rising stars in the composition realm including
Benjamin Britten and Paul Hindemith. Brain continue to advocate for
the horn repertoire by exploring the already existing but less
popular pieces and gave them new life.
For those that knew him, Dennis was an almost magical human
being. Everything he did, musically and otherwise, was done with
ease and serenity. His notable affinities included spaghetti and
cars. Dennis could down a plate of spaghetti between a recoding
session and it not inhibit his playing whatsoever. He loved cars so
much he could often be found with copies of car magazines on his
music stand. Ironically, Dennis Brain died in a car accident in
1957 at age 36. His legacy as one of the greatest horn players to
ever live and his impact to the horn world will never be
forgotten.
Discography
Solo Horn and Orchestra
Hindemith: Concerto for Horn and Orchestra (1949). Philharmonia
Orchestra, cond Hindemith. KH, London, November 19, 1956.
Mozart Horn Concerto No. 1 Philharmonia Orchestra, cond Karajan.
November 12, 1953.
Strauss: Concerto No. 1 in E flat Major for Horn and Orchestra
op. 11 BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond Boult. March 18, 1956
Strauss: Concerto No. 2 in E flat Major for Horn and Orchestra
(1942). BBC Welsh Orchestra, cond Jenkins. February 5, 1951.
References
“Dennis Brain (1921-1957).” International Horn Society Online.
N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
Gamble, Stephen, and William C. Lynch. Dennis Brain: A Life in
Music. Denton, TX: U of North Texas, 2011. Print.
