cor anglais
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AI overview
The cor anglais (also called the English horn) is a woodwind instrument that produces a warm, mellow sound and is slightly larger than an oboe. It has been used in orchestral music for centuries to add distinctive tonal color to compositions, particularly in passages requiring a softer or more somber quality.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Classification
- Woodwind Wind Aerophone
- Hornbostel sachs classification
- 422.112-71, ( Double reed aerophone with keys )
- Developed
- about 1720 from the oboe da caccia
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
The cor anglais ( UK: /ˌkɔːr ˈɒŋɡleɪ/, US: /- ɑːŋˈɡleɪ/ or original French: [kɔʁ ɑ̃ɡlɛ]; plural: cors anglais) , or English horn (mainly North America), is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an alto oboe in F.
The cor anglais is a transposing instrument pitched in F, a perfect fifth lower than the oboe (a C instrument). This means that music for the cor anglais is written a perfect fifth higher than the instrument sounds. The fingering and playing technique used for the cor anglais are essentially the same as those of the oboe, and oboists typically double on the cor anglais when required. The cor anglais normally lacks the lowest B♭ key found on most oboes, and so its sounding range stretches from E3 (written B♮) below middle C to C6 two octaves above middle C. Some versions have a Low B♭ key to extend the range down one more note to sounding E♭3.