Owner: HWMC
Catalog # CL-AELV-152

Double Reed

'Cor Anglais in F' - English Horn

Vienna, Austria (possibly)
No markings

Boxwood, ivory, nickel-silver
ca. 1810-1830’s
Height: 31 inches
Wind Instruments – Woodwinds – Double Reed

The cor anglais is French for English horn and in German it is called Englishchhorn, but the instrument is neither from England nor a horn. It is pitched in F, a perfect fifth lower than the (C) oboe. Like the oboe it is a double reed instrument.

Supposedly the name was misinterpreted and instead of being called a cor anglé (bent horn), it was called cor anglais. This instrument first appeared on a regular basis @1749.  The English horn was also built in an angular form.  This cor anglais has 14 flat circular keys that are block mounted. The bulb-shaped bell (called Liebesfuss) of the cor anglais gives a more mellow and softer timbre than the oboe, due to a wider double reed and a longer conical bore body.

The modern straight form English horn was first exhibited in 1839 by Henri Brod of Paris. The English horn appears in many Romantic works, notably those of Hector Berlioz, César Franck, and Richard Wagner.

Resource: https://www.britannica.com/art/English-horn

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