Cor anglais

The cor anglais, or English horn, is a double reed woodwind musical instrument in the oboe family. It is pitched in F, a fifth lower than the oboe (a C instrument), and is consequently approximately one-third longer. Its pear-shaped bell gives it a somewhat more nasal, covered timbre than that of the oboe, being closer in tone quality to the oboe d'amore. As the oboe is the soprano instrument of the oboe family, the cor anglais is generally regarded as the alto member of the family; the oboe d'amore, pitched between the two in the key of A, is the mezzo-soprano member.

Repertoire

Many oboists double on the cor anglais, just as flutists double on the piccolo. (Although piccolo oboes, called oboe musette or piccolo oboe, do exist, they are very rarely played.)

Related Topics:
Flutist - Piccolo - Piccolo oboe

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There are few solo pieces for the instrument, although its timbre makes it well suited to the performance of expressive, melancholic solos in orchestral works, particularly slow movements.

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Famous examples include:

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• Antonín Dvo?ák's Symphony No. 9, the New World Symphony
• César Franck's Symphony in D minor (2nd movement)
• Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 22, "The Philosopher"
• Jean Sibelius's Swan of Tuonela
• Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G
• Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez (2nd movement)
• Gioacchino Rossini's William Tell Overture
• Richard Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" (Act 3, Scene 1)
• Hector Berlioz's "Roman Carnival Overture"
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture"(Love Theme, Exposition)

In film scores, the cor anglais is heard as a solo instrument as frequently (if not more) than the oboe, most likely because of its rounder tone quality. In addition to classical music, the cor anglais has also been used by a few musicians as a jazz instrument; most prominent among these are Paul McCandless, Sonny Simmons, and Vinny Golia. The cor anglais also figures in the instrumental arrangements of several Carpenters songs, most notably "For All We Know" (1971).

Related Topics:
Tone quality - Paul McCandless - Sonny Simmons - Vinny Golia - Carpenters

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