The cor anglais (UK: /ˌkɔːr ˈɒŋɡleɪ/, US: /-ɑːŋɡˈleɪ/ or original French: [kɔʁ ɑ̃ɡlɛ]; plural: cors anglais), also called the English horn (mainly in North America), is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is about one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it similar to an alto oboe in F.

The cor anglais is a transposing instrument pitched in F, which is a perfect fifth lower than the oboe (a C instrument). This means that the music written for the cor anglais is played a perfect fifth higher than the notes shown on the sheet music. The way the instrument is played, including fingerings and techniques, is mostly the same as the oboe. Oboists often play both the oboe and the cor anglais when needed.

The cor anglais usually does not have the lowest B♭ key found on most oboes. Its range typically covers from E3 (written as B♮, which is below middle C) up to C6 (two octaves above middle C). Some models include a Low B♭ key, allowing the instrument to play one additional note lower, down to E♭3.

Description and timbre

The cor anglais has a bell shaped like a pear, called Liebesfuß, which gives it a sound that is more covered than the oboe. Its tone is similar to the oboe d'amore. The oboe is the soprano instrument in the oboe family, while the cor anglais is considered the alto member. The oboe d'amore, which is pitched in the key of A, is the mezzo-soprano member. The cor anglais is known for having a mellow and sad tone compared to the oboe. This difference in sound comes from a wider reed and a cone-shaped tube that expands over a longer distance than the oboe's. Though darker and lower in pitch than the oboe, its sound is different from the bassoon family but can blend with it. The cor anglais is longer than the oboe, has a reed attached to a slightly curved metal tube called the bocal or crook, and has a bulbous bell shaped like a pear.

The cor anglais is usually written in the treble clef, which is a perfect fifth higher than the actual pitch. Occasionally, the alto clef is used for the actual pitch, as seen in works by Sergei Prokofiev. In late-18th- and early-19th-century Italy, the instrument was sometimes written in the bass clef an octave lower than the actual pitch, as in Rossini's Overture to William Tell. French composers up to Fromental Halévy used the mezzo-soprano clef, which allowed players to read the music as if it were in the treble clef.

The cor anglais typically plays down to the written note low B♮. Some European instruments have an extension to low B♭ (sounding E♭). Works that use this note include Arnold Schoenberg's Gurre-Lieder, Gustav Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, Heitor Villa-Lobos's Chôros No. 6, and Karlheinz Stockhausen's Zeitmaße. Antonín Dvořák's Scherzo capriccioso includes notes as low as A, though it is unclear if such an extension existed.

Reeds for the cor anglais are similar to those for the oboe, made from a piece of cane folded in half. Unlike oboe reeds, which are mounted on a small metal tube covered in cork, cor anglais reeds fit directly onto the bocal. The cane part of the reed is wider and longer than that of the oboe. Cor anglais reeds often have a small wire near the base, about 5 mm from the top of the string used to attach the cane. This wire helps hold the reed together and keeps the tone and pitch stable.

Modern cor anglais instruments are made by companies such as F. Lorée, Marigaux, Rigoutat, T. W. Howarth, and Fox Products. Instruments from smaller makers, like A. Laubin, are also highly valued. Most are made from African blackwood, also called Grenadilla. Some makers offer alternatives, such as cocobolo (used by Howarth) or violet wood (used by Lorée), which slightly change the instrument's sound, making it more mellow. Fox recently produced some instruments using plastic resin and maple, the wood traditionally used for bassoons.

History and etymology

The term "cor anglais" is French for "English horn," but the instrument is not from England and is not related to brass instruments called "horns," such as the French horn or tenor horn. The instrument was first made in Silesia around 1720 when the Weigel family of Breslau added a bulb-shaped bell to a curved oboe da caccia body. This instrument, called the "two-keyed, open-belled, straight tenor oboe," and especially the flare-belled oboe da caccia, looked similar to the horns played by angels in medieval religious art. This led to the German name "engellisches Horn," meaning "angelic horn." Because "engellisch" also meant "English" in the common language of the time, the instrument became known as the "English horn." Even after the oboe da caccia was no longer used around 1760, the curved, bulb-belled tenor oboe kept the name. The term "cor anglais" first appeared regularly in Italian, German, and Austrian music scores starting in 1749, often written as "corno inglese."

The earliest known music specifically for the cor anglais is in the Vienna version of Niccolò Jommelli's opera Ezio from 1749, where it was called "corno inglese." Composers like Gluck and Haydn used the instrument in the 1750s, and the first English horn concertos were written in the 1770s. In 1771, the Schwarzenberg Wind Harmonie used two cors anglais along with two oboes, two bassoons, and two horns. Johan Went was the first cor anglais player, and Ignaz Teimer (father of the Teimer brothers) was the second. Johan Went composed the first oboe trios for the Teimer brothers. The oboe and cor anglais parts in these trios, written by Johan Went and Joseph Triebensee, are notable for being created by oboists for oboists and include early examples of complex and showy music for the cor anglais. In 1796, Johann and Franz Teimer died. The first recorded performance of an oboe trio was in 1793, which Beethoven attended. Over 20 oboe trios were composed while the Teimer brothers performed in Vienna and nearby areas. Phillip Teimer continued to play the cor anglais in Schikaneder's opera house in Vienna and sang some roles due to his deep voice. Many cor anglais parts were written specifically for him by composers such as Stengel, Süssmayr, Paer, Winter, Weigl, Eberl, Eybler, Salieri, Hummel, Schacht, and Fisher.

The name "cor anglais" is ironic because the instrument was not regularly used in France before about 1800 or in England before the 1830s. The Penny Cyclopedia from 1838 described it as "The English Horn, or Corno Inglese, is a deeper-toned oboe." The first printed use of "cor anglais" in English was in 1870. In the UK, the instrument is often called simply "cor." Other European languages usually use the equivalent of "English horn," while some use the equivalent of "alto oboe."

Because the instrument had earlier bowed or angular shapes, some suggested that "anglais" might come from the Middle French word "anglé" (meaning "angular" or "bent at an angle"). However, this idea has been rejected because there is no evidence of the term "cor anglé" being used before the late 19th century.

Repertoire

Until the 20th century, there were not many solo pieces for the English horn played with a large group, such as an orchestra or concert band. Important examples of these concertos and concertante works include:

• William Alwyn's Autumn Legend for English horn and string orchestra (1954)
• Emmanuel Chabrier's Lamento for English horn and orchestra (1875)
• Aaron Copland's Quiet City for trumpet, English horn, and string orchestra (1940)
• Miguel del Aguila's Broken Rondo for solo English horn and orchestra
• Gaetano Donizetti's Concertino in G major (1816)
• Arthur Honegger's Concerto da camera for flute, English horn, and string orchestra (1948)
• Gordon Jacob's Rhapsody for English horn and strings (1948)
• Aaron Jay Kernis's Colored Field (1994)
• James MacMillan's The World's Ransoming, for obbligato English horn and orchestra (1995–96), part of the orchestral triptych Triduum (1995–97)
• Walter Piston's Fantasy for English horn, harp, and string orchestra (1952)
• Ned Rorem's Concerto for English horn and orchestra (1992)
• Peter Seabourne's Concerto for English horn and orchestra (2013)
• Jean Sibelius's The Swan of Tuonela (1893)
• Jack Stamp's Elegy for English horn and Band (2004)
• Pēteris Vasks's Concerto for English horn and orchestra (1989)
• Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's Concertino in A♭, op. 34 (1947)

David Stock's concerto Oborama (2010) includes the English horn and other instruments as soloists, with each movement using a different instrument (such as oboe d'amore in movement 3 and bass oboe in movement 4).

Though these works are concertante in nature, they are orchestral pieces that include long solos, with the player seated within the orchestra.

Better known chamber music for English horn includes:

• Ludwig van Beethoven's Trio for 2 oboes and English horn, Op. 87 (1795)
• Ludwig van Beethoven's Variations on "Là ci darem la mano", for 2 oboes and English horn, WoO 28 (1796)
• Elliott Carter's Pastoral for English horn and piano (1940)
• Felix Draeseke's "Kleine Suite" for English horn and piano, Op. 87 (1911)
• Paul Hindemith's Sonata for English horn and piano (1941)
• Charles Ives's Three Places in New England (1904)
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol (1887)
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade Op. 35 (1888)
• Joaquín Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez (1939)
• Antonio Salieri's Annibale in Capua
• Howard Shore's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (film score)
• Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4 in C minor (1936)
• Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 6 in B minor (1939)
• Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1943)
• Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10 in E minor (1953)
• Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11 in G minor (1957)
• Jean Sibelius's Karelia Suite (1893) and Pelléas et Mélisande (1905)
• Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben (1898)
• Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring (1913)
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture (1870)

The English horn's sound is well suited for many operas and orchestral works. These include:

• Vincenzo Bellini's Il Pirata (Act II: Introduzione) (1827)
• Gioachino Rossini's Adelaide di Borgogna, aria: "Soffri la tua sventura…Amica speme"
• Gioachino Rossini's William Tell Overture (1829)
• Antonio Salieri's Annibale in Capua
• Howard Shore's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (film score)
• Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4 in C minor (1936)
• Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 6 in B minor (1939)
• Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 8 in C minor (1943)
• Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10 in E minor (1953)
• Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11 in G minor (1957)
• Jean Sibelius's Karelia Suite (1893) and *Pelléas et Mélisande