The '''English Horn''' (also commonly called the ''Cor Anglais'' in French) is a musical instrument in the double-[[reed]] family. It is very similar to the tenor of the [[oboe]], but plays in a lower octave, family - in the key of F , a fifth below the oboe - the same as the [[French Horn]].
English Horns were not common in orchestral works until the expanded symphonic [[orchestra]] of [[Richard Wagner]]. In modern times, the instrument's frequency of occurrence in works has remained stagnant, although several famous works feature it prominently, such as the second movement (the ''Largo'') from [[Antonin Dvorak]]'s ninth symphony, ''Symphony from From the New World.''It is used where a degree of plaintive stillness is required as in [[Jean Sibelius|Sibelius]]' ''Swan of Tuonela'' or some of the more pastoral passages of [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]], notably ''In the Fen Country'' and in the third movement of his fifth symphony.
[[Category:Musical Wind Instruments]]