Klarinet Archive - Posting 000510.txt from 2002/04

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] English/French horns
Date: Thu, 18 Apr 2002 19:21:46 -0400

At 01:27 PM 4/18/2002 -0500, Mark Charette wrote:
> >From The New Grove Online:
>...In later religious imagery, especially in German-speaking central
>Europe. In
>Middle (High) German, the word engellisch meant 'angelic' (as engelgleich in
>modern Hochdeutsch). With the Middle German word for 'England' being
>Engellant, the word engellisch also meant 'English'. These dual meanings
>naturally became conflated, and 'angel's horn' thus became 'English horn'.
>This unlikely epithet remained with the curved, bulb-belled tenor oboe even
>after the oboe da caccia had faded (c1760) and in the absence of any better
>denominations.

Bizarre that two such perfectly logical explanations can coexist, when BOTH
are founded on inter-language homophonics.

Bill Hausmann bhausmann1@-----.net
451 Old Orchard Drive
Essexville, MI 48732 ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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