Stopping the horn is done by extending the open hand some way
up the bore; there is half stopping and whole stopping, according to
the interval, the half tone or whole tone required. As may be
imagined, the stopped notes are weak and dull compared with the open.
On the other hand, the tubing introduced for valves not being quite
conformable in curve with the instrument, and hampered with
indispensable joins, unless in the best form of modern valve, affects
the smoothness of tone. No doubt there has been of late years a great
improvement in the manufacture of valves. Many horns are still made
with crooks covering an octave from B flat to B flat, 8 feet 6 inches
to 17 feet; but most players now use only the F crook, and trust to
the valves, rather than to change the crooks, so that we lose the
fullness of sound of those below F. The natural horn was originally in
D, but was not always restricted to that key; there have been horns
for F, G, high A, and B flat. This may, however, be said for the valve
horn, that it does not limit or restrict composers in writing for the
open or natural notes, which are always more beautiful in effect.
Valves were invented and first introduced in Prussia about A.
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