aubrey brain was born in london in 1893. he started to learn the horn from his father. in 1911 he won a scholarship to the royal college of music. he soon became one of britain’s best horn players. the other great players of the french horn were his father, his elder brother and adolf borsdorf. he became principal horn player of the beecham opera company. there he met marion beeley, a mezzo-soprano. they married in the summer of 1914 just before the world war i. when war broke out he joined the welsh guards and played horn in the band. after the war it was difficult for him at first to find a really good job as horn player . the best horn jobs were already taken by his brother alfred. aubrey and marion had two sons: leonard (born 1915) and dennis (born 1921). however, in 1922 alfred emigrated to the united states. aubrey soon became first horn of the royal philharmonic society (his father played second horn), and first horn of the queen’s hall orchestra. he was also first horn in the new symphony and soon he joined the orchestra of covent garden as principal horn. in 1923 he joined the london symphony orchestra.