My score of my orchestra piece is at concert pitch, but the parts are of course transposed. I have a horn part that, because of the difference of a fifth, needs different clef changes to the score. For example, in the score:
I’d like the written F# to have a treble clef, followed by a bass clef for the following note (sounding E, written B). The score doesn’t need a clef, but the part does. I have only been able to get different clefs (from “Notations…” or the context menu), so it looks like this, which means I have a clef in the score where I don’t need one:
Clefs have a “Show for Transposition” property (select one and look in Properties panel). If you set this to “Transposed pitch” they will not show in concert pitch layouts and vice versa.
Hi @roni, in your screenshots I see a bunch of red notes… Maybe the wrong Instrument is chosen for Horn in F? Did you tried assigning this Instrument for the Horn in F?: F Sounds 8va Bass Clef Transposed Pitch:
Sorry, I amp not an expert in Brass Transposition [edit: see @asherber’s explication below], but with that instrument , I have this results (so no need of clef change and no out of range notes in the part):
This instrument is not generally used. A concert B3 should be written as F#4 for F horn, as the OP has it. In many classical-era scores (and later, from composers who followed old traditions), when the written horn part went into the bass clef, it would be notated an octave lower than usual. For example, this is one way of showing a descending scale.
This is called “old-style” notation. When it’s used, it’s only for a section of a piece; I’ve never seen it used for an entire piece, which is what you would use that Dorico instrument for.
For example Carl Maria v. Weber uses the old notation continuously in his opera “Der Freischütz” which is heavy on (french) horns in multiple transpositions and many low notes.
@asherber
Just a little question (and sorry for my profound ignorance on this Subject): what would then be a good choice of Instrument Definition for this kind of notation without having the “out of range” notes displayed by Dorico? (again sorry if my question doesn’t make sense… ).
Some of this is just a case of Dorico’s defined instrument ranges being a little too narrow. Dorico thinks that the bottom of standard (dark red) horn range is concert C3; personally, I would call that the bottom of the standard range for maybe a middle school player. The bottom concert E2 in the OP is probably outside of “standard” range, but the F to C#3 should be in range.
Mozart wrote a fragment of an Adagio (KV 580a) for 4 instruments (without instrument specification). The first instrument is a fourth higher than the other. The fourth instrument is written in bass clef. The piece is bequeathed as Adagio for English Horn (in F), 2 Violins and Cello (in C).
But with this ensemble there is an extraordinary gap between the third and fourth instrument and the voicing of the first instrument is often in the range of the second – which Mozart never wrote.
The – very beautiful – piece makes only sense played by one Clarinet in B♭ and 3 Basset Horns in F, the third in old notation. Indeed Mozart wrote the low notes of the Basset Horn (and Basset Clarinet) always in bass clef transposing upward.
Thanks Christian! I didn’t have a 8vb Horn, but you did solve another problem, which was that I had an unnecessary key signature in the horn parts - I needed the simple horn instrument.
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