Waldhorn German (Primary)
Corne Parforce Italian?
Corne Sylvestre French?
Cornu Sylvestre Unknown
Cornetto da Caccia Italian?
Cornetto di Caccia Italian
Corno di Caccia Italian
Cor[s] de Chasse French
Feldhorn German?
Hunting Horn English
Parforce Italian?
Tromba Campana Spanish
Waldhörner German
Description:
The Waldhorn (the most common of these names) is usually a reed stop of 16' or 8' pitch. According to Williams the Waldhorn was not a reed until the mid-1800's, prior to that time it was synonymous with Waldflöte. Adlung, however (1768), describes it as a reed, and says �the [instrument] Waldhorn has not come into universal use until recently, it is also not yet common in the organ.� As made by Willis, it was a chorus reed of �close� tone. Wedgwood, the only source to list all the names, provides the illustration reproduced here of a Compton Waldhorn, and writes: The Corno di Caccia, as an organ stop, is sometimes equivalent to Clarinet. When of 2 ft. pitch the Waldhorn was identical with the Waldflöte, and usually so when of a 4 ft. pitch. In unison pitch the Waldhorn was a reed, imitative of the hunting horn. The name, Waldhorn, is also applied by Mr. John H. Compton, of Nottingham, to a stop of his invention. It is a very powerful free toned Double reed, resembling in quality the Double English Horn, though more powerful than that stop. According to Maclean, the name Waldhorn was used by Kimball for a powerful flute stop. Skinner describes the Wald Horn simply as �a small scaled Trumpet sometimes capped�. Irwin describes its tone thus: Without having the Tromba's brass-like timbre, this horn suggests the tone of a loud and full-timbred French Horn stop. It has no clang or blatancy, but neither is it one of the smooth, pungent Reeds of the organ. There is an alternate meaning for Corno di Caccia.
Examples:
Osiris lists thirteen examples of Waldhorn at 16', four at 8', two at 4', and one at 32'. Two of these are flues (see below). No examples of Corne Parforce, Corne Sylvestre, Tromba Campana, Cor de Chasse, Feldhorn, or Parforce are known. Contributions welcome.