Dennis Brain

Few instrumentalists in the twentieth century matched Dennis Brain in forging a prominent solo identity for the horn. By the time he reached thirty-six, he had returned the four Mozart and two Strauss horn concertos to active repertory use, prompted Hindemith, Britten, and other composers to create new works for the instrument, and defined the prevailing standard among horn soloists of his era.

Brain entered the world in 1921 inside a London family already devoted to horn playing. His father Aubrey Brain and an uncle both performed professionally, as had their father Alfred Brain Sr., the son of yet another horn player. Leonard, Brain’s remaining brother, gained recognition as an oboist. In 1936 he commenced lessons with his father at the Royal Academy of Music; two years later he earned acclaim in London by performing Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 as soloist with the Busch Chamber Players.

Brain soon appeared regularly as soloist with the Royal Air Force Central Band and served as its principal horn throughout World War II. A goodwill tour of America strengthened his reputation and brought an offer from Leopold Stokowski to join the Philadelphia Orchestra after the war. Although several invitations reached him, Brain chose instead to become principal horn of the Royal Philharmonic, later moving to the same post with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

He remained a prized soloist and chamber musician during these years. In the postwar period Brain produced a sequence of enduring recordings that featured concertos by Mozart, Strauss, and Hindemith as well as assorted chamber and recital pieces. Works added to the horn literature through his direct influence included compositions by Britten, Hindemith, Malcolm Arnold, and Gordon Jacob; his technical mastery in particular shaped two major Britten chamber scores, the Serenade for tenor, horn & strings (1943) and Canticle III (1953).

Brain also took up conducting and formed a wind quintet that attracted widespread attention. After the quintet performed at the Edinburgh Festival on September 1, 1957, he died in a car accident while returning to London. Benjamin Britten later wrote of that night that “it has robbed us of an artist with the unique combination of superb technical command of his instrument, great musicianship, a lively and intelligent interest in music of all sorts, and a fine performing temperament, coupled with a charming personality.”