Auguste Blangy was born on 13 March 1779 in Paris and was a pupil of the famous horn player Duvernoy. In 1799 he received the first prize at the Paris Conservatoire. Between 1810 and 1816 he was employed at the Paris Opera; it was probably during this period that he composed his works for the opera. From 1818 to 1820 he was Répétiteur at the Conservatoire — besides his training as a horn player, he must therefore also have received a thorough education in composition.
In 1828 he was one of the founding members of the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, where he played second horn alongside the first horn players Dauprat, Mengal, and Meifred. It can be assumed that his move to the viola in 1831 was for health reasons, as was common practice at the time. He left the orchestra on 1 December 1843 and died on 10 October 1848.
Airs for 2 Horns in 4 Suites
Blangy's four suites for two horns are collections of melodies by various composers. Alongside Mozart and Haydn, most of the material comes from Nicolo — a name that stands for Nicolas Isouard (1775–1818), a rather successful opera composer of his time. Suites 1 and 2 are dedicated to Mr. Felix de Coincy, and suites 3 and 4 to son ami Dauprat (his friend Dauprat).
What makes Blangy's compositions and arrangements particularly interesting is that he prescribes different crooks for the (contemporary) natural horns, and that both horn parts are notated in both the low and high register — making the suites quite varied to play.
