English horn

An English corn.

Cornista playing his English corn.

The English horn is a wooden musical instrument, derived from the oboe due to its construction (it has a double reed and a slightly conical tube) and consequently due to its timbre.

Origin of name

Although the origin of its name is certainly unknown, it seems that it has a rather peculiar origin; despite being called "English horn", its origin has nothing to do with England. It is believed that it originated in France, under the name cor anglé, that is, 'angled horn', since several centuries ago it was built in a slightly curved shape.

The nickname anglais or anglois ('English') would be a deformation of anglé (angled, curved). This confusion is perpetuated in all languages: English horn in English, corno inglese in Italian, Englisch Horn in German, etc. The player of this instrument is normally called the cornist, although it also admits a correct form, but less used, the anglocornista (note that the player of a horn is called, in addition to the horn player, francocornista, a very archaic term). In Spain it is sometimes called cuerno, the correct term according to the RAE.^{[citation required]}

Transposing instrument

A perfect fifth is played below the oboe. It is a transposing instrument: what sounds is not the same as what is written.

It is said that “it is in F”: that is, when the performer (generally an oboist) presses the combination of keys that on an oboe would produce a C₃ , on the English horn produces a fa₂. This is: the English horn sounds a perfect fifth lower than what is written. An example of another instrument tuned in F is the horn, commonly called the French horn.

The finger positions on the keys when playing are almost the same as the positions on the oboe; therefore, it is not very difficult for an oboist.

Extension

Its extension goes from mi₂ (written si₂) to do ₅, two octaves above middle C on the piano. Although, according to Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, it should go as low as E.

Its pear-shaped bell gives it a somewhat more nasal and covered timbre than that of the oboe. The tone quality of it is closer to that of the oboe d'amore. If the oboe is the soprano family instrument, the English horn is considered the contralto, while the oboe d'amore is the mezzo-soprano.

The English horn is considered to have a more mellow and mournful timbre than the oboe. Its appearance differs from that of the oboe in that the reed is attached to a slightly curved metal tube, called a bocal, and that the bell is bulbous in shape.

History

It comes from the oboe da caccia, a rather old instrument that is frequently found in the Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach.

In England it is known by its French name: cor anglais, while in the US it is now known as English horn.

It was used very little before the Romanticism, but then it was a common instrument in the orchestra. However, it is rare in chamber music, where it is replaced by the trumpet or bassoon.

The first known orchestral part specifically for the instrument is found in the Vienna version of Niccolò Jommelli's opera Ezio dating from 1749, where it was given the Italian name corno inglese. Gluck and Haydn followed suit in the 1750s, and the first concertos for English horn were written in the 1770s. The Schwarzenberg Wind Harmonie of 1771 employed 2 cors anglais, as well as 2 oboes, 2 bassoons and 2 horns. Johan Went was first cor anglais and Ignaz Teimer (father of the Teimer brothers) was second cor anglais. The first oboe trios were composed by Johan Went for the Teimer brothers. The oboe and cor anglais writing in these original Bohemian/Viennese trios by Johan Went and Joseph Triebensee are notable as being written by oboists for oboists and include some early examples of florid and virtuoso writing for the cor anglais, paving the way for similar writing. to come. In 1796 Johann and Franz Teimer died. The first recorded performance by an oboe trio was in 1793 (attended by Beethoven). While the Teimer brothers performed in and around Vienna, more than 20 oboe trios were composed. Phillip Teimer continued to play cor anglais at the Schikaneder Opera House in Vienna. He also sang a few roles with the company due to his sonorous bass voice. Many cor anglais parts were written especially for him by Stengel, Süssmayr, Paer, Winter, Weigl, Eberl, Eybler, Salieri, Hummel, Schacht and Fisher.

Repertoire

Concerts

• William Alwyn, Autumn Legend for English horn and string orchestra (1954)
• Martín Niñerola, Raúl, "Concertijo" for English horn and Band (2015)
• Emmanuel Chabrier, I'm sorry. for English horn and orchestra (1875)
• Aaron Copland, Free City for trumpet, English horn, and string orchestra (1940) †
• Gaetano Donizetti, Concertino in G major (1816)
• Arthur Honegger, Concerto da camera, for flute, English horn & string orchestra (1948)
• Gordon Jacob, Rhapsody for English Horn and Strings (1948)
• Aaron Jay Kernis, Colored Field (2000)
• James MacMillan, The World's Ransoming † (1997)
• Walter Piston, Fantasy for English horn, harp and string orchestra (1952)
• Ned Rorem, Concerto for English Horn and Orchestra (1992)
• Jean Sibelius, Swan of Tuonela (1893) †
• Pēteris Vasks, Concerto for English horn and orchestra (1989)
• Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Concertino in A-flat, op. 34 (1947)
• Teresa Borràs i Fornell, "Concerto for solo English horn and string orchestra" op.116 (1994)

Pieces

• Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 22 (The philosopher).
• Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde (act 3, stage 1).
• Piotr Ilich Chaikovski: Romeo and Juliet (theme of love, exposure).
• Piotr Ilich Chaikovski: Capricho Italian
• Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 of the New World.
• César Franck: Symphony in minor (second move).
• Gioacchino Rossini: obertura de William Tell.
• Hector Berlioz: overture Carnival Romano.
• Dmitri Shostakóvich: Symphony No. 11 (fourth move) and the Symphony No. 8 (first move).
• Jean Sibelius: The swan of Tuonela (Lemminkäinen Legends)
• Maurice Ravel: Concert for piano in sun.
• Joaquín Rodrigo: Aranjuez Concert (second move).
• Aaron Copland: Free City (quiet city).
• Miguel Oblitas Bustamante: Quartet for Oboe, English Corno, Heckelfon and Fagot of the quartet series.

In film soundtracks, the English horn appears as much or more than the oboe, due to its more "round" timbre.

In addition to classical music, the English horn has also been used by some jazz or pop musicians:

• Paul McCandless
• Sonny Simmons
• Vinny Golia
• Nancy Rumbel (he uses it in the Grammy Award winning song Tingstad and Rumbel)
• The Carpenters (C. I. appears in instrumental arrangements of several songs of these two brothers, being the most remarkable For All We Know1971.