The English Horn I must reveal
Has no connection with John Peel;
In fact Old John would find it meaner
To play on than a vacuum cleaner.
Its tone would make his horses skittish
For it is neither horn – nor British.
Some call it – to increase this tangle –
The Cor Anglais – or horn with angle –
Concerning which I’m glad to state
The English Horn is long and straight.
Its misery and constant dwelling
On tragedy has caused a swelling
Just where the doleful note emerges;
Imbued with melancholy surges
This makes an English Horn cadenza
Sound fearfully like influenza.
I found the poem here, at Steve Reads (and according to the first blog entry he reads “enormously”! More than me, he says. Not that that’s saying much these days. It might have been saying a lot when I worked at Books Inc., though.) … I’d love to get a copy of the book People of Note, which contains this silly poem about the English horn at some point. Too fun! (Do check out the drawing of the English hornist if you click on the first link of this paragraph.
Oh … and viola pals … be sure and check out the poem about the viola! Thanks for the morale boost! ;-)
