Complete Encyclopaedia of Music/B/Basset-horn

by John Weeks Moore

Basset-horn (I. CORNO DI BASSETTO ), bears the same relation to the C Clarinet that the Cor Anglais (English Horn) does to the Oboe, being in fact an Alto Clarinet in F. The lowest note being E natural, this on the added lines, the lowest notes are often written in the F Clef and an octave lower than their proper position.

The tone of the Basset-Horn is richer and mellower than that of the Clarinet, but in modern music it is seldom, if ever, met with. The tipper compass is about the same as that of the Clarinet. At the present day the Alto Clarinet has entirely monopolized its functions and the Basset-Horn is a thing of the past.