Cor anglais

Categories: Woodwind instruments

Image:Cor anglais.jpg
A 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.

The fingering and playing technique used for the cor anglais are essentially the same as those of the oboe, but the cor anglais is tuned in F, a perfect fifth lower, making it a transposing instrument. Its sounding range stretches from the E (or, rarely, E flat) below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C. It is perceived to have a more mellow and more plaintive tone than the oboe. Its appearance differs from the oboe in that the reed is attached to a slightly bent metal tube called the bocal and the bell has a bulbous shape.

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Playing the cor anglais

The cor anglais is considered physically somewhat demanding to play. The amount of breath support needed is greater than for the oboe, as is the difficulty of maintaining a correct embouchure. One professional player has compared playing the instrument with the task of blowing up balloons for hours at a time. Players also risk tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome from supporting the instrument's weight over long periods.

Like other reed players, cor anglais players must have not only a strong instrumental technique but also good maintenance skills. The cutting of reeds from cane (Arundo donax), which is generally done by the performer, is considered something of an art. While performing, cor anglais players must be vigilant to keep their reeds moist and to prevent moisture damage to their instrument by swabbing it out frequently.

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Nomenclature

"Cor anglais" is generally the name of the instrument used in Britain and culturally-affiliated countries; "English horn" is used in the United States.

Despite its name, the instrument is not thought to be English in origin. A common explanation of the name is that it is a corruption of the French horn cor anglé, meaning bent horn, although there is no certainty that this is the case. This probable misunderstanding gave birth to another one, the naming of the French horn, which is as French as the cor anglais is English.

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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.)

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.

Famous examples include:

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).de:Englischhorn es:Corno inglés fr:Cor anglais hr:Engleski rog it:Corno inglese nl:Engelse hoorn ja:コーラングレ pl:Rożek angielski sr:Енглески рог fi:Englannintorvi