French Horn

The  horn is usually called the French Horn in English, but is more simply called corno = horn in Italian, and the equivalent of 'horn' in other languages. The horn is a brass instrument widely used in the orchestra, and loved especially by composers from the romantic period, because of its rich and mellow tone. It came into regular orchestral use about 1815 when the valve horn was invented.

The French Horn is a coiled conical brass tube ending in a wide bell. The mouth-piece is shaped like a funnel. Horns with 3 valves may be in either F (the higher-pitched instrument) or in Bb.  In more recent times, a 4-valve horn is widely used, called the double horn, which effectively combines both F and Bb horns into one, because the 4th valve extends the tube length to that of the Bb horn. Its range is 4 octaves,  from F1 (2.5 octaves below middle C) up to F5 (1.5 octaves above middle C).

The horn is hard to play well, notes tend to crack up, especially at the low and high ends of the range. In the hands of an expert, it has a stunningly beautiful and penetrating tone.

The modern horn originates from the ancient long straight hunting horn, which evolved in France into a coiled hunting horn, and then was further refined in Germany into the instrument we know today.