Cor Anglais

History of the Cor Anglais

The cor anglais has a history dating back centuries and though the name suggests it has an English or possibly French origin, neither is in fact true. The cor anglais’ most likely instrument ancestor is the 18th century oboe da caccia which was a double-reed instrument pitched a fifth lower than an oboe (the same as a cor anglais). This early precursor has a brass bell and was favoured and popularised by German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. It’s name was perhaps inspired by the corno da caccia which was a brass instrument developed from a hunting horn in the early 18th century. The corno da caccia eventually developed into the french horn and the oboe da caccia became the cor anglais. After the baroque period, the cor anglais was favoured over the oboe da caccia for its much more mellow and soothing tone. Beethoven wrote classical music pieces for the cor anglais (referred to as the english horn) in 1795 which kickstarted more classical compositions written for the cor anglais in the 19th century. The cor anglais survived changes in instrument designs during the 1800s and 1900s but is still less commonly used than the oboe today.

Inventor: Unknown