Brian Holmes, professor of physics at San Jose State University, will present a lecture, "The Workings of Brass Musical Instruments, or What Do Horn Players Do With Their Right Hands," Friday, Nov. 13, at 3 p.m. in Barnes Hall on the Cornell University campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

In his lecture, Holmes will explain the mysteries of brass instruments, concluding with a performance on a valveless horn of the Beethoven Sonata for Horn and Piano. The pianist will be Greg Werner of the Cornell physics department.

Holmes' talks on the physics of musical instruments have been presented at high schools and colleges across the country, as well as to national organizations, such as the American Association of Physics Teachers, the Acoustical Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society.

His talks are full of humor and energy, complementing his physical and musical insights. He offers numerous demonstrations: He builds a trumpet, plays an antique keyed bugle, performs on a length of garden hose and plays on the valveless predecessor of the modern French horn.

Holmes combines interests in both physics and music, being both a physicist and regular performer with the San Jose Symphony Orchestra and Opera San Jose. His publications include physics textbooks and research articles, as well as original musical arrangements and compositions.

The presentation is part of the Gemant Lecture series. In 1995, the Andrew Gemant Award was given to Robert R. Wilson, Cornell professor emeritus of physics, by the American Institute of Physics, for his outstanding work linking physics to the arts and humanities. Part of the award includes provision for a series of lectures of interest to the public as well as the local community of physicists.