What does one suppose...

[windshieldbug]

the intervals are for these valves? I get that the 3rd finger valve is 1 1/2 in the key of F, but since this is NOT a double nor a compensating horn, what to you suppose gives? The others look a little short... maybe finger 1 or thumb is an F half step... or maybe it's a 4 valve Bb horn with non-standard patterns...

Rare and Brass French horn

[Kevin Hendrick]

Assuming, for the moment, that 1, 2, and 3 are the usual intervals, the thumb valve looks like a 3/4-step valve. 3 does look rather long ... could be the bend, or it might be a double-whole-step.

[Chuck(G)]

Looks like a Bb horn to me, with the thumb being a stop or mute compensating valve.

[MaryAnn]

Looks like a rather typical setup: 4 valve Bb horn, where the 4th valve is a stop valve. Bb horns often have a stop valve because the usual stopping technique gives a pitch that is too sharp to use. (Chuck is right.)
Just for the record, this is a modern, crap-ola Chinese horn. No touchie.
MA

[Chuck(G)]

Looks like a rather typical setup: 4 valve Bb horn, where the 4th valve is a stop valve. Bb horns often have a stop valve because the usual stopping technique gives a pitch that is too sharp to use. (Chuck is right.)
Just for the record, this is a modern, crap-ola Chinese horn. No touchie.
MA

I don't know if he's still there, but there was a fellow on eBay who was buing the cheapie Chinese doubles, tearing them down, then reassembling them carefully. He claimed that he could offer a very decent double horn for about $750.

[MaryAnn]

Oh, that was Kendall Betts, recently retired 1st horn of Minnesota orchestra. Yes, he said that, and no, I would not buy one. He said all they needed was to be taken apart and put back together correctly, deburred, etc. The problem is...there is no factory rep or salesman to go back to if you buy one of these, medicate it and do surgery on it, and it dies anyway.
MA

[Chuck(G)]

Horns can be very cool, indeed.

As I'm writing this, NDR-Kultur is playing the Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Orchestra from a 1985 performance. Gedda's doing the vocals and Radovan Vlatkovic is on horn--talk about an exposed solo! Absolutely breathtaking...