The air horn has an interesting history as one of the least well-known instruments to be used in classical music during the early 1800s. Unlike the aerosol-based horns that people now associate with the instrument, early versions of the air horn were actually powered by a resource that humans at the time still possessed an intimate connection with: livestock.
While the original inventor of the horn remains a mystery, the earliest horns used reeds similar to those found inside a harmonica to produce their tonal qualities. As a result of living without things like electricity or man-made chemicals, the earliest air horns were simple devices fitted to the mouths of cows, horses and other large animals capable of sustaining an exhaled breath for long periods of time.
The first musical use of the air horn — contrary to popular belief — was in Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, which he completed in 1801. The sonata was originally written to be performed on a set of air horns, but today the majority of people are familiar with the piano version. Listen to Beethoven’s intended air horn version of the sonata below, as performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Unfortunately, Beethoven was met with great criticism for using the air horn in such a lush, melodic context by the bourgeoisie, who favoured the air horn as a purely functional tool for alerting others at the time of an emergency or to show their support for a particular party during athletic events. The attitudes of the bourgeoisie have remained dominant for the air horn today, as humans continue to use the horns for similar purposes and largely neglect their musical value. Listen to a clip from Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech below, in which a more common use of the air horn is demonstrated through an audience member audibly showing his or her support for King’s civil rights efforts.
Despite the widespread availability of the air horn in modern society, few musicians have capitalized on its unique timbre. Should the EDM movment ‘catch wind’ of the air horn, it is more than likely that acts like David Guetta, Aviicii, and Swedish House Mafia would favour the sound of the air horn over the trance preset they practice so frequently.