# Notation help. Unknown text abbreviations



## DerGeist (Jan 2, 2020)

Hi all

I managed to pick up a pipe organ plugin over the holidays and am currently learning parts of Holst's Neptune the Mystic using it. Sounds pretty good so far. The sheet music I have (by Sigal) has a number of text notations on it that I am not familiar with.

HF.
Fl.
H.
+Hbl.
Po
+Vl

I suspect that this is the piano sheet music's attempt to indicate which orchestral instruments are being emulated by the piano. Is that right? I have honestly never seen this before.


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## Rob (Jan 2, 2020)

yes I think they're instrument cues, we always put some in piano reductions...


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## NoamL (Jan 2, 2020)

H. might be Hautbois? (oboe)


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## bryla (Jan 2, 2020)

Since Sigal is German I would look at German instrument abbreviations. Then 'Po' will mean posaune (trombones).


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## Rob (Jan 2, 2020)

bryla said:


> Since Sigal is German I would look at German instrument abbreviations. Then 'Po' will mean posaune (trombones).


I think so... my guess is:
H=Horn
HF=Harp
Fl=Flute
+Hbl=add Woodwinds (Holzblasinstrumente)
Po=Trombone
+Vl=add Violins


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## Assa (Jan 2, 2020)

I'm from Germany...so this is what it most likely stands for:

HF = Harfe (harp)
Fl = flute
H = Horn
Hbl = Holzbläser (woodwinds)
Po = Posaune (trombone)
Vl = Violin

Edit:Rob was a few seconds faster :D


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## DerGeist (Jan 2, 2020)

Thanks everyone. This is the first I have ever seen anything like this but I don't normally learn orchestra pieces for solo piano. Now to figure out how to make my acoustic piano sound like a Posaune


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