French horn

horn, also called French horn, French cor d'harmonie, German Waldhorn, the orchestral and military brass instrument derived from the trompe (or cor) de chasse, a large circular hunting horn that appeared in France about 1650 and soon began to be used orchestrally.

French horn. noun. music a valved brass instrument with a funnel-shaped mouthpiece and a tube of conical bore coiled into a spiral. It is a transposing instrument in F. Range: about three and a half octaves upwards from B on the second leger line below the bass staff: See horn.

The French horn has the widest tonal range of all brass instruments. Its extremely rich, soft timbre gives it a special quality somewhere between brass and woodwinds, enabling it to blend well with the sound of many other instruments.

The name "French horn" first came into use in the late 17th century. At that time, French makers were preeminent in the manufacture of hunting horns and were credited with creating the now-familiar, circular "hoop" shape of the instrument.

Description. Brass family instruments produce their unique sound by the player buzzing his/her lips while blowing air through a cup or funnel shaped mouthpiece. To produce higher or lower pitches, the player adjusts the opening between his/her lips.

Horns are an animal's weapon, so it follows that as a symbol they function as representing strength and aggressiveness. They are also the power and dignity of the divinity, and horned gods usually represent warriors and lords of ANIMALS.

A horn is any of a family of musical instruments made of a tube, usually made of metal and often curved in various ways, with one narrow end into which the musician blows, and a wide end from which sound emerges.

Composers casually shortened it to "horn" or "corno" in their scores simply because it is the only "horn" used in an orchestra (until the advent of the cor anglais in the 19th century). In Germany it is popularly known as Waldhorn, in France, Cor d'harmonie, Cor de chasse, etc.

French Horn Facts

• The horn is used in a variety of ensembles, like orchestras, concert bands, and military bands.
• In 1971, "horn" was declared as the instrument's official name by the International Horn Society.
• If unrolled, a horn's tubing would be around 17 feet long.

Germany A German horn player named Heinrich Stolzel was the first person to create a valved French horn, and another German horn maker named Fritz Kruspe developed it further later in the 1800s - so the "French horn" was actually created in Germany.

If you uncurled all of the tubing the horn would measure 12 to 13 feet for a single horn, and up to 22 feet for a double horn! The French horn has the smallest mouthpiece of any of the brass instruments, and the mouthpiece is funnel shaped. This helps give the horn it's distinctive, mellow sound.

: to join in something (such as a conversation) without invitation or consent : intrude. … awkwardly horning in during a high-level chat …