The English Horn (also commonly called the Cor Anglais) is a musical instrument in the double-reed family. It is the tenor of the oboe family - in the key of F, a fifth below the oboe - the same as the French Horn.
English Horns were not common in orchestral works until the expanded symphonic orchestra of Richard Wagner. In modern times, the instrument's frequency of occurrence in works has remained stagnant, although several famous works feature it prominently, such as the second movement (the Largo) from Antonin Dvorak's ninth symphony, From the New World. It is used where a degree of plaintive stillness is required as in Sibelius' Swan of Tuonela or some of the more pastoral passages of Ralph Vaughan Williams, notably In the Fen Country and in the third movement of his fifth symphony.