For 2 horns - score 7 p.
The German music theorist Johann Philipp Kirnberger (1721-1783) is primarily renowned for his role as the collector and publisher of numerous organ works by his teacher Johann Sebastian Bach. His own collection, Vermischte Musikalien (Berlin, 1768), includes three Bicinia for two trumpets and six for two horns.
Bicinia are didactical duets in a contrapuntal style. While Kirnberger’s style is strongly indebted to Bach and was considered old-fashioned in his day, his knowledge and extensive use of the then new hand horn technique, on the other hand, was ultramodern for his time. In terms of range, the Bicinia can be compared to Mozart’s horn duets KV 487. Kirnberger prescribes two horns in E-flat, but due to the extremely high tones in the first horn part, the Bicinia could be played in lower transpositions as well.