Cornet

What it means

The cornet is a brass instrument in B♭ with three valves that corresponds to the trumpet in range but is predominantly conical in construction. From this follows a softer, rounder sound with less sharpness in the high register. It is notated transposing: a written c′ sounds as B♭. The mouthpiece has a deeper cup than the trumpet mouthpiece. The cornet is not to be confused with the cornetto, a Renaissance instrument of wood with finger holes, nor with the organ stop of the same name.

Musical use

In the nineteenth century the cornet was the agile, singing brass instrument par excellence and was widely used in orchestral, salon, and military music. Numerous scores of that time call for cornets alongside trumpets and assign them the melodic and virtuoso tasks, while the trumpets take on the signal-like ones. In the brass band it is to this day the leading soprano instrument, and there an extensive solo repertoire exists. In the symphony orchestra it was later often replaced by the trumpet, which noticeably changes the sound of the works concerned — a reason to reach for the cornet again in historically oriented performances.

Other names

Cornet is the French and English form (cornet à pistons). It is not to be confused with the organ stop of the same name, a mixed voice with a third-sounding rank.

Performance practice

Use a cornet mouthpiece; a trumpet mouthpiece makes the sound narrow and takes away the instrument's individuality. Work with a broad airstream and soft articulation, because the cornet rewards fullness better than pressure. Check the intonation of the valve combinations, especially the notes fingered with the first and third valves, and use the adjustable slide if available. If you play in mixed scoring with trumpets, agree articulation and vibrato so that the parts match in sound. Keep the valves moving smoothly and empty the condensation regularly.

Bear in mind that the soft attack of the cornet becomes an advantage in fast passages: runs respond more easily than on the trumpet but lose sharpness. Use this for agile passages and switch deliberately when a signal-like character is called for. In the brass band, coordination within the cornet section is decisive; settle vibrato and articulation together. Check the tuning after warming up, and check whether the slides run easily, because otherwise fast corrections are not possible.