A
woodwind instrument, and, along with the
oboe and the
bassoon,
one of the
double reeds typically played in
orchestral and
opera music of the
US
and
Europe.
The English Horn looks quite a bit like an oboe, only larger. It is pitched one fifth
lower than the oboe, and has a rich, dark tone that can be used to mournful or
seductive effect. Its double reed is placed on the end of a short bocal that joins
the reed to the body of the instrument.
Famous solos for English Horn are found in the second movement of Antonin Dvorak's
New World Symphony, and in Hector Berlioz's Roman Carnival Overture.