The English horn is, strangely enough, neither English nor is it technically a horn. Of course, this deserves an explanation! The cor anglais, as it was called in France when introduced in the early 18th century, is actually a kind of tenor oboe, which sounds a fifth lower than the more familiar orchestral oboe. Both are double-reed instruments.
A very common explanation for the name of this instrument is that 'cor anglais' is actually a corruption of the phrase 'cor anglé'; however, this suggestion is strongly contested. English horns at one time did have curves or angles, but since the late nineteenth century, straight-bodied instruments have become the rule; a curve in the instruments' mouthpiece allows the player to hold the English horn close to their body. In J.S. Bach's cantatas, early English horns appeared as oboe da caccia , a phrase linguistically related to hunting horns or corno da caccia. Gunter Joppig suggests that this instrument's flared bell and sound which resembles a stopped (or muted) horn justifies its name.
An 18th century musician, C.F.D. Schubart described the English horn as an instrument "exquisitely suited" to expressing despondency and profound melancholy in opera and sacred music. He adds, "The playing of this instrument is very difficult because the many keys bring about difficulties in the fingering...it is hoped that an inventive mind will shortly improve it!"
Historic and contemporary works featuring the English horn include Elliott Carter's "Pastoral" (1982), Karlheinz Stockhausen's "In Freundschaft" (In Friendship) (1977), Brian Cherney's "Eptiaph" (1969), Ignaz Pleyel's "18 Duets for Oboe and English Horn" (c 1820s), and Ludwig van Beethoven's "Trio for Two Oboes and English Horn in C Major (op. 87).
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