English Horn Etymology?

Question

Why is the English Horn called a horn when it is a woodwind instrument, basically a lower oboe? When compared to other horns, such as the French Horn and the Flugelhorn, it seems to be a misnomer.

Answer 1

The answer to this question can have a couple of answers, I will attempt to briefly discus the two that come to mind. Firstly, At many points in history musicians have referred to their instrument as a "horn" whether woodwind or brass. The term horn came from the shape, a curved instrument with ancestors made out of literal horns from an animal. When describing their own personal instruments many of the greatest oboist such as Marcel Tabuteau have been quoted saying "my horn" when talking about his oboe. Laila Storch quotes phrases such as these in her biography of the beloved teacher and oboist Marcel Tabuteau "How do you expect to play the oboe if you can't peel a mushroom". Another point is that "English Horn" is a translation that comes from it's original French name "Cor Anglais". Some historian say the name is a error of translation and it was likely meant to translate as either bent horn or anguish horn since the instrument is not english at all.