basset horn
- noun
- /ˈbæsɪt hɔrn/
- Specialized
:
basset
- The basset horn has a warm, rich sound.
Examples
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The Mozart Requiem features a beautiful part for the basset horn.
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Clara played a solo on her basset horn during the concert.
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Several classical composers wrote music specifically for the basset horn in their ensembles.
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Many orchestras now include the basset horn in their performances.
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Clara played a solo on her basset horn during the concert.
-
Several classical composers wrote music specifically for the basset horn in their ensembles.
-
Many orchestras now include the basset horn in their performances.
How Low
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
4.6
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
basset + horn
The headword 'horn' clearly signals an instrument, while 'basset' (etymologically related to 'bass' meaning low) gives a cue to a lower-pitched variety; together a learner who knows both constituents could infer this is a low-pitched kind of horn. However, the precise identity (that it is a tenor/clarinet-family instrument rather than a brass horn) is not predictable from the parts alone, so the transparency is partial.
Etymology
The instrument basset horn gets its name from two simple ideas. One is basset, which may come from a word meaning 'little bass' because it sounds lower than a regular clarinet, and the other is horn, because its bent shape and metal mouthpiece looked a bit like a horn, so the name points to a low, horn-shaped clarinet.