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The contributions of Philip Farkas
in the fields of symphonic horn playing, pedagogy,
and instrument design are of such importance that
he will certainly be considered a major figure of
the twentieth century. As a horn player, he was
the only person ever to be offered the solo horn
position in each of the "big five"
American orchestras (Boston Symphony Orchestra,
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra,
New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra).
His first book, The Art of French Horn Playing (Summy-Birchard
Music, 1956) is considered the "bible"
of horn playcrs and is still a best seller in its
field. The Art of Brass Playing (Wind
Music, 1962, written in collaboration with the
present author) and The Art of Musicianship (Wind
Music, 1976) widened his exposure to encompass the
entire music profession. The horn he designed with
the Frank Holton Company in 1957 immediately
established itself as the top-selling
American-made horn, a position it continues to
hold forty years later.
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