Frederic Duvernoy (1765–1838) belonged to that founding generation which established the fame of French horn players and passed it on through a school of their own. Duvernoy was born in Montbéliard on 16 October 1765 and joined the orchestra of the Comédie-Italienne as a horn player in 1788. In 1797 he moved to the Paris Opéra, where he worked as solo horn player from 1799 onwards. In 1801 he was released from regular opera duty, along with other principal wind players, in order to concentrate on his solo tasks. From that time on he also played in the „Chapelle Musique", which was re-established by Napoleon Bonaparte, who is said to have been an admirer of Duvernoy.
From 1795 he was also a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire de Musique, alongside up to eight other horn teachers at times. Different schools of horn playing developed there. While a separation into 1st and 2nd horn had always existed, the horn player Rodolphe favoured a comprehensive use of the entire range, whereas Kenn, and especially later Dauprat, favoured a clear separation into cor alto and cor basso. Duvernoy, quite literally, took the middle path: in his printed horn method he too divided the instrument into high and low horn and recommended differently sized mouthpieces, but in solo playing he advocated the „cor mixte". This meant doing without particularly high and low notes; the middle register (about one and a half octaves) was rarely left, with more emphasis placed on melodiousness instead.
In 1816 Duvernoy retired, though until 1830 he still held the position of solo horn player in the Chapelle Musique. He died in Paris on 19 July 1838. Duvernoy's works (12 concertos for horn and numerous chamber pieces) were printed not only in Paris but also appeared in Germany, for instance with the publishers Simrock and Breitkopf.
Serenade No. 2 for piano and horn (or flute/violin)
This work was created as part of a series of divertissements, fantasies and serenades, around 1820. It was inspired by a trip to Switzerland. For the horn part, an alternative part for flute or violin is available.
