The post horn is a brass instrument shaped like a cylinder and has no valves. It also has a mouthpiece that is shaped like a cup. This instrument was used to announce when a post rider or mail coach was arriving or leaving. Postilions used it during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Use and construction

The post horn is often mistaken for the coach horn. Although both instruments had the same main purpose, they look different. The post horn has a cylinder-shaped inside and was used on a coach pulled by two horses, called a "Tonga." Because of this, it is sometimes called the Tonga horn. The coach horn, however, has a cone-shaped inside and was used on a coach pulled by four horses, known as a "four-in-hand." The post horn is no longer than 32 inches (810 mm), while the coach horn can be as long as 36 inches (910 mm). The coach horn has a bell that looks like a funnel, while the post horn's bell is shaped like a trumpet. Post horns do not have to be straight; they can be curved. They have a smaller inside shape and are made completely of brass. Some post horns have a slide to adjust the pitch if used in an orchestra.

This instrument is an example of a buisine, which is an early version of the "natural" trumpet. The cornet was created by adding valves to the cone-shaped coach horn. Meanwhile, cylinder-shaped trumpets remained mostly without valves for many years.

Compositions with/for the post horn

In the late 1600s, Johann Beer wrote a musical piece called Concerto à 4 in B ♭. This piece used a post horn and a corne de chasse as the main solo instruments, with violins and basso continuo providing background music.

In 1779, Mozart created his Serenade No. 9, also known as the "Post Horn Serenade." The second trio in the sixth movement, called the Menuetto, includes a solo performed by the post horn.

Later, composers like Mahler included the post horn in their orchestras for certain pieces. Often, the trumpet player in the orchestra would play the post horn during these performances. An example is the famous off-stage solo in Mahler's Third Symphony. Because the post horn is rare, many pieces originally written for it are now played on a trumpet, cornet, or flugelhorn.

In 1844, a German cornet player named Hermann Koenig composed a piece called Post Horn Galop. It was written for the post horn with an orchestra. By the 20th century, this piece became popular among brass bands. Since 1935, it has been used as the walk-on music for the Leicester City Football Club.

The sound of the post horn’s fanfare was often used in music about the post coach or travel. Examples include a piece by Bach called Capriccio on the departure of a beloved brother. This work includes an "Aria di postiglione" and a "Fuga all'imitazione della cornetta di postiglione," both featuring a musical jump similar to the post horn’s sound.

In Handel’s Belshazzar, the second act has a "Sinofonia" with a musical theme (called Allegro postilions) that represents messengers leaving on a mission. A similar movement appears in the third "Production" of Telemann’s Tafelmusik. Beethoven’s Les adieux piano sonata uses a horn-like theme to show the departure of someone loved. In Schubert’s Winterreise, the song "Die Post" includes a piano part that highlights a horn signal motif.

Other uses

During World War I, in Austria-Hungary and Germany, wooden post horns were used to raise money for the war through a method known as the Nail Men. People gave money, and in return, they were allowed to hammer a nail into the horn until the horn was fully covered.

The post horn as graphical symbol

The post horn is a symbol used in the logos of national postal services in many countries. It is also included in Unicode as U+1F4EF 📯 POSTAL HORN.

Examples of postal services that use the post horn in their logos include:
• Correo Argentino (Argentina)
• Australia Post (Australia)
• Bâlgarski poshti (Bulgaria)
• Belposhta (Belarus)
• Bpost (Belgium) – has a special design of the postal horn
• Česká pošta (Czech Republic)
• Correos (Spain)
• CTT (Portugal) – includes a rider on horseback holding a straight horn
• Cyprus Postal Services (Cyprus)
• Deutsche Post (Germany)
• Omniva (formerly Eesti Post, Estonia)
• Hrvatska pošta (Croatia)
• Íslandspóstur (Iceland)
• Jersey Post (Jersey)
• Lietuvos paštas (Lithuania)
• Magyar Posta (Hungary)
• MaltaPost (Malta) – includes a horn with a Maltese cross in the center
• North Macedonia Post (North Macedonia)
• Österreichische Post (Austria)
• Poczta Polska (Poland)
• Poșta Moldovei (Moldova)
• Poșta Română (Romania)
• Pochta Rossii (Russia)
• Posta Shqiptare (Albania)
• Pošta Slovenije (Slovenia)
• Post Danmark (Denmark)
• PostBus Switzerland (Switzerland)
• PTT (Turkey)
• Slovenská pošta (Slovakia)
• Tajikistan Post (Tajikistan)
• Ukrposhta (Ukraine)

Until 2002, Finland’s postal service and its later organizations also used a postal horn in their logos. From 1987 onward, their logo combined a postal horn with a symbol for telegraphs.

In Italy, the post horn appeared on a road sign labeled "Stop when encountering coaches on mountain roads." These signs were placed on narrow, winding mountain roads to remind drivers to stop and let coaches pass safely. The sign was removed from Italy’s road rules in 1992.

Other examples include:
• German signs and postboxes with post horn logos
• A post horn logo from Sweden
• A muted post horn from The Crying of Lot 49
• The postal horn emoji from Google Noto, U+1F4EF
• An old Italian road sign labeled "Stop when encountering coaches on mountain roads" (removed from the Italian Road Code in 1992)