English horn
Pear-belled woodwind
The English horn is a woodwind instrument in the oboe family, pitched a fifth lower than the standard oboe.
It has a distinctive pear-shaped bell and a curved metal tube connecting the reed to the body.
Despite its name, the instrument is neither English nor a horn—it likely derives from a corruption of the French *cor anglé* (angled horn).
The English horn produces a mellow, plaintive tone often featured in orchestral passages evoking pastoral or melancholic moods.
Paired vibrating cane strips
- bocalBassoon neck tube
- grenadillaPassion fruit variety
- fingeringNote-playing hand technique
- embouchureWind player's mouth position
reed-making · staple · crook · vent holes · sonorous · melancholic · cantabile
- pastoral themesRural, idyllic subject matter
- solo passagesUnaccompanied musical sections
Air-blown instrument ensemble
- symphonicPertaining to large-scale orchestral music
- philharmonicLarge orchestra organization
- chamber ensembleFew instrumentalists performing together
- doublingMultiplying by two
tutti · conductor · score · pit orchestra · film scoring · studio musician
double reed
Paired vibrating cane strips
- bocalBassoon neck tube
- grenadillaPassion fruit variety
- fingeringNote-playing hand technique
embouchure · reed-making · staple · crook · vent holes · sonorous · melancholic · cantabile
Berlioz
- pastoral themesRural, idyllic subject matter
- solo passagesUnaccompanied musical sections
woodwind section
Air-blown instrument ensemble
- symphonicPertaining to large-scale orchestral music
- philharmonicLarge orchestra organization
- chamber ensembleFew instrumentalists performing together
doubling · tutti · conductor · score · pit orchestra · film scoring · studio musician
- orchestraorchestra, symphony orchestra, philharmonic, strings, string orchestra
- instrumentsguitar, guitars, piano, pianos, drum
- misnomerskoala bear, starfish, jellyfish, tin foil, lead pencil
- wind instrumentsflute, clarinet, oboe, trumpet, bassoon
- reed instrumentsoboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, alto sax
- woodwindsclarinet, oboe, flute, bassoon, piccolo
English horntrumpet
Valved brass wind instrument
French horn · trombone · tuba · violin · timpani
horn, horns, horned, English, longhorn, French horn, dehorning, hunting horn