As with Schumann’s ''Concert Piece for four Horns'' op. 86 (HN 1138) Saint-Saëns’ ''Morceau de Concert'' was also composed with the idea of exploiting the technical possibilities of the new valve-horn mechanism. In this case, the French horn player HenriChaussier provided the impulse. He had developed a novel ''Cor omnitonique'' and wanted to demonstrate the merits of his instrument with Saint-Saëns’ composition. Chaussier’s invention did not gain acceptance amongst horn players ╩ although the''