An instrument that is the closest relative of the oboe. Musical instrument: Cor anglais

The English horn or alto oboe is a wooden musical instrument.

The name “Corn anglais” is still a mystery, and causes a lot of controversy and speculation among musicians and music historians. Listed below are several versions of the interpretation of the name of the English horn.

Apparently the word "horn" is a reference to the originally arched shape of the early tenor oboes and especially the oboe da caccia, which were used as hunting instruments. The adjective "English" is probably the result of a linguistic deformation of the word, which was formed from the original French phrase "cor angle" (angular horn, bent horn) and transformed into "cor anglais" (English horn).
Another version: the French, calling new tool“English” indicated its supposedly foreign (English) origin, thereby wanting to attract the attention of the public and composers to the new instrument.
The third version states that if the modern English horn was developed in Silesia - historical region Central Europe(modern Poland, Czech Republic and Germany), then the name of the instrument most likely has German roots, and on German the word engelisch has two meanings: the first is religious: englische - angelic (der Englische Gru - angelic greeting, prayer); and the second colloquial: englische - English (English language).
As a result of all of the above, it follows that the name of the instrument may sound like “Corn anglais”, “Angel horn” or “Angle horn”. Independent parts for the English horn began to appear in the 1740s. One of the first composers to use this instrument was Gluck, including in the opera Orpheus and Eurydice. IN symphonic music The English horn first appeared in Haydn. Other composers who wrote for the cor anglais in the second half of the 18th century include Joseph Starzer and Michael Haydn, as well as the performers themselves - Joseph Fiala, Ignaz Malzat and others.
One of the most prominent English horn players in the 18th century was Philip Timer, the youngest of three brothers who played the oboe. A number of works by contemporary composers were written for their trio, including, possibly, Trio, op. 87, Beethoven. To others famous performer there was Giuseppe Ferlendis, who played instruments made by the Venetian master Andrea Fornari.
In France, the English horn appeared only in early XIX century. The first major performer there was Gustave Vogt, oboist of the Grand Opera Orchestra. For him, Rossini wrote a solo in the middle section of the overture to the opera William Tell. Vogt, together with master Guillaume Triebert, participated in improving the design of the instrument.

The English horn was widely used in operas Italian composers― Domenico Cimarosa, Tomaso Traetta, Giuseppe Sarti and others. It was in their work that a lyrical, melodious style of writing for English horn was established, in contrast to the virtuoso principle that had dominated before. In the 19th century, these traditions were developed by Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi, who often used the English horn in dramatic episodes.

The first of the German Romantic composers to include the cor anglais in his scores was Richard Wagner, who heard this instrument in Paris. In the operas "Tannhäuser" and "Tristan and Isolde" the cor anglais imitates the shepherd's tunes, and in "Lohengrin" it is used not only for special effects, but also as a full-fledged orchestral instrument with an independent party. Cor anglais parts are also found in the works of Schumann and Liszt. The structure of the cor anglais is similar to the oboe, but it is larger in size, has a pear-shaped bell and a special curved metal tube with which the reed is connected to the main body.

Wind instruments. This is the name given to musical instruments in which sound is produced by the vibration of air in a hollow tube. Some of them are straight and relatively short, like those of a clarinet, flute or oboe. Others are long, “rolled” for convenience, like those of a bassoon, horn, or trumpet. Some are made of wood, others are made of metal. Both the shape of the instruments and the material from which they are made have great importance: they determine the character, coloring of the sound, that is, timbre. Special role the material plays: after all, the sound of metal is completely different than that of wood. That's why wind instruments are divided into two groups - wooden and copper. But they all have one thing overall quality: unlike keyboards and string instruments they are monophonic. Each instrument can only play one melody. Therefore, an orchestra usually uses two or more instruments of the same type.

Woodwind instruments include flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, cor anglais and saxophone.

Flute is a wind instrument, images of which are found on frescoes Ancient Egypt and Greece.

Emerging from the reed pipe, the flute was at first a simple wooden tube with holes. Over the course of many centuries it was improved until it acquired modern look. Previously, the flute was longitudinal, and it was held in a vertical position. Then the so-called transverse flute appeared, which the musician holds horizontally. This type of flute, improved in 1832 by the German master T. Boehm, gradually replaced the longitudinal one, and now all orchestras include the transverse flute.

Its range is from the first to the fourth octave, the lower register is somewhat dull and soft; the middle and part of the upper are very beautiful, have a gentle and melodious timbre; the highest sounds are piercing, whistling.

IN instrumental ensembles The flute took part already in the 15th century. Composers were attracted by its melodious sound, and later, when the instrument was improved, by its rich virtuoso capabilities. The flute can handle the most complex passages. She often enters into a kind of competition with a coloratura soprano, which she partly resembles in her timbre. Remember Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Snow Maiden”: the coloratura passages of Moroz’s daughter at the beginning of the opera are echoed by “patterned” flute tunes. The flute is the highest woodwind instrument in a symphony orchestra.

One of the varieties of this instrument used in the orchestra is the piccolo flute (piccolo - in Italian - “small”). It is half the size of a regular flute and sounds an octave higher. Her sharp whistle cuts through the sonority of the entire orchestra. Previously, the piccolo flute was used only in those musical episodes in which it was necessary to depict a battle, a thunderstorm, or the whistling of the wind. Now she is often entrusted with melodic parts.

In Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, the piccolo flute plays the theme of a squirrel gnawing a golden nut. In the first act of Bizet's opera Carmen, two piccolo flutes accompany a chorus of boys marching smartly after the soldiers.

J. S. Bach “Joke” from orchestral suite No. 2 in B minor

Oboe is a woodwind instrument similar to a flute, but with a warmer and thicker sound. It originated from a simple pipe - a bone tube equipped with a mouthpiece and having holes - and appeared in France in the second half of the 17th century. The oboe looks like a straight wooden tube with 25 holes, 22–24 of which are covered by keys. When playing, performers close these holes with their fingers, and from here sounds of different tones are obtained. The oboe is played with the fingers of both hands.

The oboe always participates in the symphony orchestra. He is assigned sad and dreamy melodies. But he can also play humorous melodies, for example, imitate the croaking of frogs.

P. Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 II movement

English horn. The closest relative of the oboe is the English horn, which appeared in the first half of the 18th century. Otherwise it is called an alto oboe.

The English horn is larger than the oboe and sounds a fifth lower. Its sound is more melancholic, “lazy and dreamy” as defined by composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

IN symphony orchestras there are usually two oboes and one cor anglais.

Clarinet also belongs to the woodwind instrument family. It originated from the pipe, a thin tube that shepherds played, and has the shape of a tube with a peculiar beak. The length of this musical instrument is 50 - 70 cm, it has 20 valves and 7 holes.

C. Saint-Saens Sonata for clarinet and piano

Bassoon. In its shape, this representative of woodwind instruments is similar to English letter U, that is, like a tube folded in half. There are 25–30 side holes on the body of the bassoon, of which 5–6 are closed with fingers, and the rest with valves.

The bassoon appeared in Italy back in the 16th century, but was first used as a solo instrument and only two centuries later began to be used in a symphony orchestra. Typically, an orchestra uses from two to four bassoons. The bassoon is the lowest woodwind instrument in a symphony orchestra.

A. Vivaldi Concerto for bassoon and orchestra I part.

Saxophone invented more than a hundred years ago by the famous Belgian inventor Adolphe Sax. The saxophone is also one of the woodwind instruments, although it is made of metal - silver or a special alloy. It is similar in sound and shape to a clarinet.

At first, the saxophone was used only in military bands. Gradually he began to be introduced into opera and symphony orchestras. The saxophone never became a full member of the symphony orchestra. But in the 20th century its vibrant, expressive and passionate sound attracted attention jazz musicians. And the saxophone became the true master of jazz.

J. Gershwin “Summertime” from the opera “Porgy and Bess.”

The English horn also has a second name - alto oboe and belongs to the group of woodwind instruments. It was constructed from a hunting oboe by adding a bell to it. At first the instrument was curved in the shape of an arc, but a little later it acquired an elongated appearance.

A modern instrument in its structure is really similar to oboe, however, its dimensions are slightly larger and its bell is pear-shaped, which cannot be confused with anything else. And the sound is different from its close relative. The English horn sounds softer, with a pleasant thick and full timbre. In a symphony orchestra, the instrument entered in the middle mid-18th century century and has since become a full participant. The first composer who paid attention to this instrument was K. Gluck, he used it in his opera “ Orpheus and Eurydice».

In fact, the English horn got its name due to a misinterpretation of the French word anglais. It would be correct to translate this word as “curved at an angle.” There's another one interesting version origin of the word English. Presumably, the first versions of the horn looked like trumpets, with which angels were usually painted on canvas in those days. Thus, the German word engellisch (angelic) was transformed into englisch (English).

OBOE

One of the woodwind instruments, the oboe, or rather its ancestor, appeared in ancient times. Back in India in the 12th century - 7th centuries before new era The otu wind instrument was known. Its Central Asian relative, the zurna, which is considered the immediate predecessor of the oboe, is still widespread in Central Asia and in the Caucasus. The Greek aulos, images of which you could see on ancient museum vases and which people could not do without Ancient Greece neither a holiday nor a feast, it is also the ancestor of the oboe, as, indeed, is the old (but much younger than the aulos) Russian flute. The oboe came to Europe from the Middle East, and in the 17th century it became a permanent member of the opera orchestra. The range of the oboe is from B, and for some instruments B-flat, small octave to F of the third octave. Like other wooden instruments, the timbre of the oboe is not the same in different registers. Its lower sounds are quite rough and harsh; medium - rich, with a slightly nasal tint; high - piercing. Composers use the middle and high registers of the oboe most often. It is more difficult to play moving, technically complex musical episodes on the oboe than on the flute. But drawn-out melodies sound bright and expressive on it. The oboe conveys a dreamy, thoughtful mood very well and helps to paint pictures of rural nature. Remember: in the scene of Tatyana’s letter in Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin”, the words “...Everyone has woken up and the sun is rising. The shepherd is playing...” the oboe plays, imitating the sound of a shepherd’s horn. The oboe is assigned the beginning of the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony - a thoughtful, sad tune. Two oboes play the melody of the Dance of the Little Swans in Swan Lake. But Prokofiev, in his symphonic fairy tale “Peter and the Wolf,” instructed the oboe in a low register to depict a duck, loudly quacking and clumsily waddling from side to side. The closest relative of the oboe is the English horn, which appeared in the first half of the 18th century. Otherwise it is called an alto oboe. The English horn is larger than the oboe and sounds a fifth lower. Its sound is more melancholic, “lazy and dreamy” according to Rimsky-Korsakov’s definition. The English horn can imitate oriental instruments, so Borodin wrote for him one of the themes of the symphonic painting “In Central Asia”. But at the same time, he is entrusted with such melodies as in the introduction to Lisa’s arioso “Where do these tears come from” from “ Queen of Spades» Tchaikovsky. And in Berlioz’s “Symphony Fantastique” and the overture to Rossini’s opera “William Tell,” the cor anglais imitates the sound of the horn of Alpine shepherds. Symphony orchestras usually have two oboes and one cor anglais.

Creative portraits composers. - M.: Music. 1990 .

See what "OBOE" is in other dictionaries:

Classification reed woodwind musical instrument with double reed Range ... Wikipedia

- (French hautbois). Wind wooden instrument, occupying a tone midway between the flute and clarinet. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. Wooden OBOE. wind instrument, occupying... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (from the French hautbois lit. tall tree), a woodwind reed musical instrument. Known since the 17th century. Varieties: small oboe, oboe d'amour, cor anglais, heckelphone... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Zurna, saryusophone, duduk Dictionary of Russian synonyms. oboe noun, number of synonyms: 4 duduk (3) zurna ... Synonym dictionary

OBOE, oboe, husband. (Italian oboe) (music). A woodwind musical instrument, the pitch of the sound is between the clarinet and the flute. Dictionary Ushakova. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

OBOE, me, husband. Woodwind reed musical instrument in the form of an expanding tube. | adj. oboe, oh, oh. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Husband. a musical instrument similar to a clarinet, with a volume (two octaves and three notes) halfway between it and the flute. Oboe, related to the oboe. Male oboist oboe player; oboists, which belongs to him. Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. IN AND. Dal... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

- (Oboe Italian, Hantbois French, Hoboe German) woodwind music. the instrument belongs to the group of those wind instruments whose mouthpiece is equipped with a reed (bassoons, clarinets, saxophones). The housing G. consists of a conical tube with holes and... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

oboe- I, M. haut bois m., German. Hoboe. A woodwind musical instrument, mid-height between a clarinet and a flute. BAS 2. Musical instruments sent here... a pair of worthless copper horns, a pair of worthless crowns, a pair of oboes.... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

Woodwind musical instrument. Characteristic feature The oboe has a double reed (reed), which distinguishes it from the clarinet, which has a single reed. Of the instruments of the modern orchestra, the oboe and oboe are equipped with double reeds... ... Collier's Encyclopedia

oboe- I, pl. gobo/i, gobo/ev, m. Woodwind reed musical instrument in the form of a conical tube with a small bell at the end, the pitch of the sound is average between a flute and a clarinet. Play the oboe. Related words: oboe/st, gobo/yn… … Popular dictionary of the Russian language

Books

• Soulful oboe. Album for oboe and piano. Piano Score and Part / Hautboy the Kind: Album for Hautboy and Piano: Piano Score and Part, Zhanna Metallidi. This publication continues the series of collections of pieces for wind instruments accompanied by piano, written by the St. Petersburg composer and teacher Zhanna Lazarevna Metallidi. Previously…