cor anglais (English horn) Reed instrument of the oboe family. Longer than the oboe, its range is a fifth lower. Its bell is pear-shaped and its double reed is inserted in a curved mouthpiece. A modern counterpart for the curved oboe da caccia in the music of J. S. Bach, parts have been scored for it in 19th-century works, especially those of Berlioz and Wagner.

cor anglais (Fr.). English horn. Neither Eng., nor a hn., but an alto ob. pitched a 5th below oboe. Name possibly a corruption of cor anglé. A transposing instr., being written a 5th higher than it sounds. Compass from e upwards for about 2½ octaves. The reed is inserted in a metal tube which is bent back. Invented by Ferlandis of Bergamo in 1760. Not much used before 19th-cent. Romantic composers, but there are several famous solos for it, e.g. Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Act III, in slow movement of Franck's Sym., and in Sibelius's The Swan of Tuonela. Also organ reed stop of 8′ pitch but sometimes 16′.