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Last Updated: Jul 7, 2008 - 10:08:41 AM
Horny horn
By Daniel A. Kusner - Life+Style Editor
Jun 11, 2008 - 2:10:50 PM
Karl Lewis blows a mean French horn for the Oak Lawn BandHorny horn
That 12-foot coiled metal tube known as the French horn has never been the sexiest instrument in the orchestra.
But Karl Lewis, president of the Oak Lawn Band, can’t get enough of the horn’s large flared bell, funnel-shaped mouthpiece and the “haunting, far-away and melancholy” sound, which can also be “sonorous, soaring and triumphant,” he explains.
Lewis really gets into the role of horn section.
“When the horns have the melody, it really captures your ear. In composing, horns are used to provide emphasis — think of the starting melody of the main theme from “Star Wars”. Those are horns,” he explains. “We’re not always featured. In marches, we’re always the upbeats. Other times, we provide harmonies and introduce tone colors.”
During the day, Lewis works as curriculum developer for Sabre Airline Reservation Systems. He’s been with the Oak Lawn Band since the mid-’80s, but this is his first term as president.
And he’s a sex symbol. In the late ’90s, Lewis was the coverboy for American Bear magazine, when he was photographed on a beach in the Caribbean. He’s also a former board member of the Dallas Bears.
In junior high, he started playing French horn. He kept at it until college. After graduation, he realized he had missed blowing horn, and that’s when he joined the Oak Lawn Band, which is a non-audition group that has performers at all levels.
He calls himself a “casual amateur player,” and the band’s pieces help sharpen his chops.
On Saturday, the band performs its season closer — where the horns will provide the harmony in the “Roaring Mountain Overture” and “Russian Masters Suite.”
“We have both harmony and melody in “Themes from ‘Green Bushes’” Lewis explains.
WE GOT THE BEAT
Frank Anthony Polito’s new novel, “Band Fags,” (Kensington, $15) is getting heaps of praise. Set in Detroit, circa 1982, Jack and Brad are teenagers who sneak glances at Playgirl as they try to weave their way through lust, love, friendship, popularity being “normal” — and the idea that real life isn’t a John Hughes movie.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition June 13, 2008.
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| BAND JAM Oak Lawn Band performs its June concert, “World Snapshots,” on June 14 at 8 p.m. at Northaven Methodist Church, 11211 Preston Rd. Tickets, $10 adults; $5 students and senior citizens. For information, 214 621-8998 or Oaklawnband.org - DANIEL A. KUSNER/Dallas Voice |
That 12-foot coiled metal tube known as the French horn has never been the sexiest instrument in the orchestra.
But Karl Lewis, president of the Oak Lawn Band, can’t get enough of the horn’s large flared bell, funnel-shaped mouthpiece and the “haunting, far-away and melancholy” sound, which can also be “sonorous, soaring and triumphant,” he explains.
Lewis really gets into the role of horn section.
“When the horns have the melody, it really captures your ear. In composing, horns are used to provide emphasis — think of the starting melody of the main theme from “Star Wars”. Those are horns,” he explains. “We’re not always featured. In marches, we’re always the upbeats. Other times, we provide harmonies and introduce tone colors.”
During the day, Lewis works as curriculum developer for Sabre Airline Reservation Systems. He’s been with the Oak Lawn Band since the mid-’80s, but this is his first term as president.
And he’s a sex symbol. In the late ’90s, Lewis was the coverboy for American Bear magazine, when he was photographed on a beach in the Caribbean. He’s also a former board member of the Dallas Bears.
In junior high, he started playing French horn. He kept at it until college. After graduation, he realized he had missed blowing horn, and that’s when he joined the Oak Lawn Band, which is a non-audition group that has performers at all levels.
He calls himself a “casual amateur player,” and the band’s pieces help sharpen his chops.
On Saturday, the band performs its season closer — where the horns will provide the harmony in the “Roaring Mountain Overture” and “Russian Masters Suite.”
“We have both harmony and melody in “Themes from ‘Green Bushes’” Lewis explains.
WE GOT THE BEAT
 |
Frank Anthony Polito’s new novel, “Band Fags,” (Kensington, $15) is getting heaps of praise. Set in Detroit, circa 1982, Jack and Brad are teenagers who sneak glances at Playgirl as they try to weave their way through lust, love, friendship, popularity being “normal” — and the idea that real life isn’t a John Hughes movie.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition June 13, 2008.
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