We have a new french horn player in our band who told me that he'd like to try some duets with the clarinet or oboe.

Apart from the ubiquitous Mozart KV487 duets that seem to appear for every combination imaginable, can anyone suggest some pieces?

Also, I know nothing about the french horn. It seems to have a huge range. If I edit some pieces on the PC, I'd like to make sure that I keep within the 'easily playable' range. But what is this? Assuming we're talking about the written notes (ie a 5th above the actual pitch) what is the range usually played by intermediate players? I remember from my short experiments with trumpet that it's best to avoid both the highest and, unlike the clarinet, the lowest notes as well.

Steve

As you've discovered there's nothing if anything written for this combination! Your best bet will be to arrange stuff yourself.

The horn is less agile than the clarinet and big jumps will be more difficult for an intermediate player. Make sure you don't sit too high in the register for too long - horn players need rests! Difficult to give a range without knowing an exact standard, but a ABRSM Grade 5 player should be able to play from a low F below the stave to the G just above (written).

I'd be interested in anything you come up with for that combination, so if you turn anything up please do share on here.