Cor anglais

The cor anglais (also English horn) is a woodwind instrument, as well as the alto instrument (alto oboe) from the family of oboe instruments, which has a permanent place in the romantic and modern symphony orchestra. In the 19th century, the instrument was also known as the alto oboe or altoboe. As with all oboe instruments, the sound is produced by a double reed.

The instrument does not end in a funnel, as is the case with the oboe, but rather, similar to the oboe d'amore, has a pear-shaped bell, also known as a "love foot". This, in combination with the curved connecting piece between the reed and the body of the instrument called the S-bow, gives it a muted, warm, more elegiac and less penetrating sound. The cor anglais is always tuned in F, i.e. a fifth lower than the oboe in C, and is notated transposing; in this respect there is a certain notational affinity with the French horn in F, the basset horn in F, and the Wagner tubas - also in F. The cor anglais is also notated transposing.

In the orchestral score, the cor anglais is placed immediately below the oboes.

The name "English horn" does not derive from the fact that the instrument originated in England. The most probable origin of the name is the French term cor anglé (angled horn), which has changed to cor anglais ("English horn"); it is also conceivable that the name developed from "angel horn" (angels play horns reminiscent of the English horn in sacred images). In Italy, the English horn is called the corno inglese. It may be a further development of the angled oboe da caccia (hunting oboe) used by Johann Sebastian Bach, dating from around 1735; like most oboe instruments, however, it first originated in France as a further development of the alto oboe in f, the so-called "taille de hautbois."

Today's English horns are built straight, but still have a curved intermediate piece, the so-called S-bow, which forms the connection between the mouthpiece and the instrument and has an enormous influence on intonation and sound.

A popular example in the Baroque period is the Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, which features two oboes or oboes d'amore as well as two oboes da caccia. In performances with modern instruments, English horns are used instead of the oboes da caccia.

In the Viennese Classical period, one encounters this instrument rather sporadically (e.g. Joseph Haydn, Symphony No. 22; Beethoven, Trio op. 87 for 2 oboes and cor anglais; Antonio Salieri, La grotta di Trofonio, Requiem), but it has attained special significance above all in Romantic music. Impressive solo passages can be found, among others, in Hector Berlioz (Le carnaval romain, Symphonie Fantastique), Richard Wagner (Tannhäuser, in the 1st scene of the 3rd act of Tristan und Isolde), Giuseppe Verdi (Ein Maskenball, Otello), Antonín Dvořák (9. Symphony), Gioachino Rossini (William Tell, Overture), in orchestral songs by Gustav Mahler (Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen), in Richard Strauss' Rosenkavalier or in Jean Sibelius (The Swan of Tuonela). However, solo works for cor anglais are rare even in the Romantic period. Among the few compositions, Felix Draeseke's Kleine Suite für Englischhorn und Klavier op. 87 stands out; also worthy of mention are the Concertino for English horn and small orchestra by Gaetano Donizetti and Omaggio a Bellini for English horn and harp by Antonio Pasculli.

Among the modern composers who dedicated themselves to the instrument are. Arthur Honegger (Concerto da camera for flute, English horn, and string orchestra), Gordon Jacob (Rhapsody for English horn and string orchestra), Paul Hindemith (Sonata for English horn and piano), Aaron Copland (Quiet City for English horn, trumpet, and string orchestra), Ned Rorem (Concerto for English horn and orchestra), and Josef Schelb (Sonata for English horn and piano 1969, Concerto for English horn and string orchestra 1970). In modern orchestral literature, Le Sacre du Printemps by Igor Stravinsky and Béla Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra represent challenging works with exceedingly fearsome solo passages.

In today's symphony orchestras, the cor anglais is considered a secondary or alternate instrument to the oboe. Large orchestras with sufficient budget employ a dedicated cor anglais player who devotes himself exclusively to the corresponding passages, while in smaller ones the second oboist is usually also engaged for the cor anglais and alternates between the two instruments during a concert.

A sister instrument of the English horn is the oboe d'amore, which also has a pear-shaped bell; it is tuned in A and sounds a major third higher than the latter. One could speak here of a "mezzo-soprano instrument" in the family of oboe instruments.