Cornett (Zink)

What it means

The cornett (German Zink) is a wind instrument of the Renaissance and early Baroque that combines two principles: the tone arises, as with brass instruments, through vibrating lips at a small, cup-shaped mouthpiece, but the pitch is determined, as with woodwinds, by finger holes. It is built of wood, mostly slightly curved, in two glued-together halves, covered on the outside with leather. Alongside the curved cornett there are straight and “mute” body shapes with a softer sound, as well as lower sizes; the lowest member of the family is the serpent.

Musical use

In the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries the cornett counted as one of the most expressive instruments of all; its sound was compared to the human voice, and it was often used together with singers, whose lines it doubled or supplemented. In town and church music it formed, together with trombones, a fixed ensemble. In the course of the seventeenth century it receded behind the violin and the oboe and largely disappeared; with historically informed performance practice it returned. It is not to be confused with the nineteenth-century cornet, although both names are linguistically related.

Performance practice

The cornett counts as difficult, because embouchure and fingering must be correct at once: the finger holes give only a reference point, the exact pitch arises via the lips. Practise long notes and constantly check the intonation with your ear. The small mouthpiece sits at the side of the mouth or centrally, depending on the school — decide deliberately and stick to it. Keep the airstream fine and supported; pressure makes the tone hard. Let the instrument dry after playing, protect the leather from moisture, and clarify the pitch standard within the ensemble.

Bear in mind that the instrument was used in ensemble with trombones and singers and is meant to adapt to them: articulation follows speech, and ornamentation practice belongs to the craft. Practise ornaments from historical method books, rather than inventing them freely. Check the mouthpiece fit and the leather covering regularly, because leaks make the tone unreliable. Expect limited endurance, since the small embouchure area tires quickly, and plan breaks. Clarify the pitch standard within the ensemble beforehand.