Dennis Brain, the much-loved horn player who died tragically in a motor accident 60 years ago on the morning of 1 September 1957, was a shining example of a quiet, unassuming but supremely gifted musician in a field populated by colourful characters many of whom lacked his modesty, reserve and gentle wit. In his all too brief career, he popularised the horn as a solo instrument to an adoring public, he had composers queuing up to write pieces to cater for his extraordinary talents and he left behind a series of recordings, many of which are considered benchmark performances.

Dennis Brain was born into a musical family on 17 May 1921 in London. His father Aubrey was a noted teacher and horn player (later principal horn with the BBC Symphony Orchestra), his mother a contralto who sang at Covent Garden. The musical talents extended to his grandfather and his uncle (also successful horn players) and his older brother Leonard who played the oboe and cor-anglais.

Showing his talents from an early age, Brain won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in 1936 where he studied horn (with his father), piano, harmony, organ, composition, and conducting. His rapid progress was such that he made his first professional appearance in 1938 playing second horn under his father for a performance of Bach’s First Brandenburg Concerto with the Busch Chamber Players. His first recordings were made in the following year including one with his father and the Léner Quartet playing Mozart’s Divertimento in D for two horns and string quartet.

With the outbreak of war in 1939, Brain enlisted with the Royal Air Force along with his brother Leonard and for several years they played with the RAF Central Band and the RAF Symphony Orchestra, making a two-week goodwill tour of the United States in 1944. His duties allowed him to play with other ensembles such as the London Wind Players and the National Symphony Orchestra and he was a frequent performer at Myra Hess’s lunchtime concerts at the National Gallery.

Following the end of the war, and with his career taking off, he was appointed principal horn of two newly formed orchestras – the Philharmonia Orchestra the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – positions he held simultaneously. He ran a hectic schedule; along with the numerous performances and recordings with the two orchestras and solo appearances, he found time to tour at home and abroad with the wind quintet had had formed with his brother. And at the time of his death, he was not only