Alphorn

Alphorn (Fr.: cor des Alpes; Ger.: Alphorn; It.: corno delli Alpi), 1. shepherd's trumpet of considerable age, found in the Alps, Carpathians, Lithuania, Pyrenees, and Scandinavia; always made of wood but assuming different shapes. The oldest form is straight, with a slight flare at the lower end; it is also made in straight form with upturned bell, as well as S-shaped or in form of a natural trumpet; the bore is always conical. The instr. is ca. 1½–4 m. (5–13 ft.) long. Nowadays a turned…