cowhorn

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cowhorn. Ancient signalling instrument for calling cattle which by 10th cent. had 2 or 3 fingerholes so that simple melodies could be played. Specially constructed modern versions (Stierhörner) were made for Wagner in Die Walküre, Götterdämmerung, and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and for Britten in Spring Symphony (1949).

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