19 Cor Anglais Facts Everything You Need To About The English Horn

For a musician, it requires having an in-depth understanding of his musical instrument solely and with a certain nitty-gritty, you can compose something extraordinary with it.

The cor anglais, also known as the English horn, belongs to the oboe family, which is another North American double reed musical instrument. It is classified into three types, woodwind, wind, and aerophone.

It shares similarities with the aerophone and you can play it using the vibration of air. Its length is 32 in (81 cm) long.

It was derived from another musical instrument called the oboe, which was used in military bands.

It was used in larger orchestras, where the ethnic tone was a very essential element of their music and it was played as a harmony gadget among ensembles. There are various kinds of reeds that work in different ways but create the tone together like common, giant, bruma, canary grass, sweetgrass, and small reed.

The reeds are attached upside-down with a single bend wire. The playing method and finger system are quite the same in the case of oboe and cor anglais.

No one is sure about the name of the word 'anglais'. Some believed that it was derived from the French word 'angle' which means curved and turned into 'anglais' in English pronunciation due to the curvy bocal on its top.

We have seen some solo pieces of famous composers and stage performers using these. Nowadays it became a famous musical apparatus that is cherished all over the world, but mostly it gained popularity in western countries.

It has a high-tune sound which gives the melody a royal ambiance with ethnicity. The history and its relation with other wind instruments are strictly remarkable, especially with the oboe family.

Let's talk about the reed of the cor anglais, which is an essential part of this English horn. There is some wire at the base, which is about 196.8 in (5 m) from the top of the string, which is used to attach the cane to the staple.

This wire plays an essential role where it holds the two blades of the cane, stably enhancing the tone and pitch. The cor anglais was made of black wood and cocobolo but recently Fox started making this with resin, plastic, maple which was a new initiative.

Some of the well-known other composers who started playing with this are Franz Passenger, Franz Kommer, Anton Anniston, John Went, and John Hinde. This is divided into the bell, rod system, thumb rest, upper octave key bocal, and reed.

Facts About The Cor Anglais

The cor anglais is famous for its high-tone sound. It is regarded as a royal music apparatus that gives the melody an authentic touch. We will evaluate the descriptions of this instrument with the help of elements from history.

The cor anglais we know was first invented by JT Wriggle around 1720, in Silesia when the Austro-Hungarian empire ruled over there.

This invention was made by coincidence when the inventor of the oboe, JT Wriggle added a pear-shaped bell with the oboe da caccia. When he started testing it, the instrument sounded in an authentic but different way and produced some new tones, hence the C cor anglais was made by hunch.

If we go to the origin of the name 'cor anglais,' it was a French word that was used to describe the English horn. Though the word's origin was French and its meaning was determined by the English, this musical instrument did not belong to these countries.

the Cor anglais's name was not populous suddenly. It started developing its presence and identity through some changes and variations over time. In 1749, it was recognized by Corona Inglese in Vienna, at Niccolo Jommelli's opera.

Philip Teimer was a musician and music composer, who continued to play a cor anglais at Schiknaeder's opera house in Vienna. He sang many parts of different songs with his sonorous bass voice using this. With a cor anglais he performed Paer, Winter, Weigel, and Eberl.

The Cor Anglais' History

The cor anglais, with its high tune, was used to make famous albums since the middle ages.

It is a high-note music instrument that is appropriate for the orchestra where a blooming melody and such tunes are appreciated. It was used in Italy, Rome, and England in earlier days but now we can see it in many western countries as well.

It is used for creating authentic music in certain concerts or casual musical gatherings.

Many luters earned a good amount of money through selling it. They pursued it as a business and other workers who were responsible to prepare it got some benefits and earn some money too.

Musicologists choose this as their research topic where they work on its etymology, especially tuning sound range, used materials, and its use for different purposes.

The Cor Anglais Vs The Oboe

As we all know, the cor anglais and the oboe are two different musical instruments. Although, they are quite related to each other and both are made by the same person. They are quite similar and there are some certain differences between them, which give these instruments their individuality.

A pear-shaped bell is attached to the end of the pipe which is missing in the case of the oboe. Cor anglais is an F woodwind and the oboe is a C woodwind.

For the oboe, the base pitch is tuned to C and in the case of the cor anglais, the base pitch is tuned to F. The radius of the cor anglais is 1.22 times bigger than the oboe.

The tune of the oboe is lighter than the sound of the cor anglais. As we know, the cor anglais is a high-tune musical instrument whose sound quality is quite deeper.

The oboe is shorter than the cor anglais and it also has a bocal (a piece of curved metal) at the top of it, which is not included in the oboe.

Uses Of The Cor Anglais

Cor anglais is a musical instrument that was populous in various orchestras over time. Many composers prefer its high-frequency tone for creating certain music.

It belongs to the oboe family and it is a woodwind double reed musical instrument. It gets played with the help of fingers that press the reed on it and blow air on its top.

The cor Anglais, or the English horn, is defined as similar to the oboe but different in sound. The fingering method of both instruments is almost the same but the sound is different.

Nowadays, there are some individuals or ventures who are famous for making the cor anglais, like F. Loree Marigaux and Rigoutat, T. W. Howarth from a British firm, and Fox products from an American firm.

This English horn is made of African block woods, sometimes cocobolo and violet wood for the sake of texture for the sound.

Some examples of orchestras that are famous for their melody and for using this instrument are William Alwyn's Autumn, Emanuel Chabrier's Lamento, and Aaron Copland's Quiet City.

New world symphony presented their many musical presentations with the help of the cor anglais. It is recognized in most melodies as a royal musical instrument, which is known for its tender sounds.

Ludwig Van Beethoven was a well-known music composer, whose works are most famous from the classical to the romantic era, performed with the musical instrument several times and composed some of his musicals.