Three different cornetts: mute cornett, curved cornett and tenor cornett

The cornett, cornetto or zink is an early wind instrument, dating from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was used in what are now called alta capellas or wind ensembles. It is not to be confused with the trumpet-like instrument cornet. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (343x640, 15 KB) [edit] Summary [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cornett ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (343x640, 15 KB) [edit] Summary [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Cornett ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ... Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens. ... Alta capella is a term referring to the town wind bands found throughout continental Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries, and specifically to such bands consisting of shawms and slide trumpets or sackbuts. ... Bâ™­ cornet The cornet is a brass instrument that closely resembles the trumpet. ...

Name

To avoid confusion between this instrument and the more modern cornet (with one t), the cornett is often referred to by its Italian name, cornetto or cornetto curvo (to distinguish it from the straight cornett). Occasionally it is called by its German name, which is zink or krumme Zink (curved spike). The instrument was known as the "cornet à bouquin" in France and the "corneta" in Spain. Bâ™­ cornet The cornet is a brass instrument that closely resembles the trumpet. ...

Construction

The cornett takes the form of a tube, typically about 60 cm. Long, made of ivory, wood, or, in the case of some modern reconstructions of historical instruments, ebony resin, with woodwind-style fingerholes. Usually the cornett is octagonal in cross-section, and it is wrapped in leather or parchment, with the fingerholes penetrating this cover. The cornett is slightly curved, normally to the right, so that the player's left hand, playing the upper holes, and the player's right hand, playing the lower holes, can more comfortably reach their proper locations. At the top of the cornett there is a small mouthpiece of the kind used in brass instruments; that is, the lips vibrate to produce sound. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Trunks A tree trunk as found at the Veluwe, The Netherlands Wood is a solid material derived from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. ... A woodwind instrument is a wind instrument in which sound is produced by blowing against an edge or by a vibrating reed, and in which the pitch governed by the resonant frequencies of an enclosed air column. ... Modern leather-working tools Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides (skin) of animals. ... German parchmenter, 1568 Parchment is a material for the pages of a book or codex, made from fine calf skin, sheep skin or goat skin. ... Trumpet mouthpiece from the side On brass instruments the mouthpiece is that part of the instrument which is placed next to the players mouth. ... Image of a trumpet. ...

The cornett is thus an unusual specimen among wind instruments, with a body constructed like a woodwind but its mouthpiece (and thus mechanism of tone production) being that of a brass instrument. Scholars evidently agree that the latter criterion is more important, and so the cornett should be counted as brass. In particular, the Hornbostel-Sachs system of musical instrument classification places it alongside instruments such as the trumpet. Hornbostel-Sachs (or Sachs-Hornbostel) is a system of musical instrument classification devised by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs, and first published in the Zeitschrift für Musik in 1914. ... At various times, and in various different cultures, various schemes of musical instrument classification have been used. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the horn, trombone, baritone, euphonium and tuba. ...

Modern cornett players tend to use a smaller mouthpiece, whereas those needing to make a compromise--often with the need to go on playing modern brass instruments--may use a much larger mouthpiece, sometimes a trumpet mouthpiece turned down on a lathe so that only the cup and a minimal stub which fits the cornett's mouthpiece receiver are left. The larger mouthpiece gives a less incisive and less "edge" to the sound. Turning, CNC turning, or manual turning is the process used to produce cylindrical components in a lathe. ... Conventional metalworking lathe In woodturning, metalworking, metal spinning, and glassworking, a lathe is a machine tool which spins a block of material so that when abrasive, cutting, or deformation tools are applied to the block, it can be shaped to produce an object which has rotational symmetry about an axis...

Music for the cornett

Historically, the cornett was frequently used in consort with sackbutts (2 cornetts, 3 sackbutts), often to double a church choir. This was particularly popular in Venetian churches such as the Basilica San Marco, where extensive instrumental accompaniment was encouraged, particularly in use with antiphonal choirs. Giovanni Bassano was an example of a virtuoso early player of the cornett, and Giovanni Gabrieli wrote much of his resplendent polychoral music with him in mind. Heinrich Schütz also used the instrument extensively, especially in his earlier work; he had studied in Venice with Gabrieli and was acquainted with Bassano's playing. Never look at the trombones. ... Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venezsia) is the capital of region Veneto, and has a population of 271,663 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ... San Marco di Venezia, as seen from the Piazza San Marco St Marks Basilica (Italian: Basilica di San Marco) is the most famous of the churches of Venice and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. ... Giovanni Bassano (c. ... Giovanni Gabrieli Giovanni Gabrieli (c. ... The Venetian polychoral style was a type of music of the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras which involved spatially separate choirs singing in alternation. ... Heinrich Schütz. ...

The cornett was, like almost all Renaissance and Baroque instruments, made in a complete family; the different sizes being the high cornettino, the cornett (or curved cornett), the tenor cornett (or lizard) and the rare bass cornett (the serpent was preferred to the bass cornett). Other versions include the mute cornett, which is a straight narrow-bore instrument with integrated mouthpiece, quiet enough to be used in a consort of viols or even recorders. The cornettino was the descant instrument of the cornetto family. ... The tenor cornett or lizard was a common musical instrument in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A serpent is a bass wind instrument with a mouthpiece like a brass instrument but side holes like a woodwind instrument. ...

The cornett was also used as a virtuoso solo instrument, and a relatively large amount of solo music for the cornetto (and/or violin) survives. The use of the instrument had declined by 1700, although the instrument was still common in Europe until the late 18th century. Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann and their German contemporaries used both the cornett and cornettino in cantatas to play in unison with the soprano voices of the choir. Occasionally, these composers allocated a solo part to the cornetto (see Bach's cantata BWV 118). Alessandro Scarlatti used the cornetto or pairs of cornetti in a number of his operas. Johann Joseph Fux used a pair of mute cornetts in a Requiem. It was last scored for by Gluck, in his opera Orfeo ed Euridice (he suggested the soprano trombone as an alternative). As a point of interest, Gluck was also the last person to score for the recorder, in the same opera. Bach in a 1748 portrait by Haussmann Places in which Bach resided throughout his life Johann Sebastian Bach (pronounced ) (21 March 1685 O.S. – 28 July 1750 N.S.) was a prolific German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments drew together the... Georg Philipp Telemann. ... Alessandro Scarlatti Alessandro Scarlatti (May 2, 1660 – October 24, 1725) was a Baroque composer especially famous for his operas and chamber cantatas. ... Johann Joseph Fux (1660 – February 13, 1741) was an Austrian composer, music theorist and pedagogue of the late Baroque era. ... Christoph Willibald (von) Gluck (July 2, 1714 - November 15, 1787) was a German composer, one of the most important opera composers of the Classical music era, particularly remembered for Orfeo ed Euridice. ... Orfeo ed Euridice is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck. ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... Various recorders The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle and ocarina. ...

Playing the cornett

The cornett is generally agreed to be a difficult instrument to play - it requires a lot of practice. It embodies a design that survives in no modern instrument; that is, the main tube has only the length of a typical woodwind, but the mouthpiece is of the brass type, relying on a combination of the player's lips and the alteration of the length of the sound column via the opening and closing of the finger holes to alter the pitch of the musical sound. Most modern brass instruments are considerably longer than the cornett, which permits the use of harmonics, the sound being altered by slides or valves to control the pitch. In acoustics and telecommunication, the harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the signal that is an integral multiple of the fundamental frequency. ...

The Baroque era was relatively tolerant of bright or extroverted tonal quality, as the surviving organs of the time attest. Thus the Baroque theorist Marin Mersenne described the sound of the cornett as "a ray of sunshine piercing the shadows". Yet there is also evidence that the cornett was sometimes badly played, although it also seems to have been played much more expertly than any other woodwind instrument. Its upper register sounded somewhat like a trumpet or modern cornet, the lower register resembling the sackbutts that often accompanied it, whereas the middle register gave an indistinct wailing sound that was not attractive when played in isolation. Cornett intonation also tended to be fluid, which enabled it to be played perfectly in tune in a range of tonalities and temperaments. Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750 (see Dates of classical music eras for a discussion of the problems inherent in defining the beginning and end points). ... Organ in Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany The organ is a keyboard instrument played using one or more manuals and a pedalboard. ... Marin Mersenne, Marin Mersennus or le Père Mersenne (September 8, 1588 – September 1, 1648) was a French theologian, philosopher, mathematician and music theorist. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the horn, trombone, baritone, euphonium and tuba. ...

As a result of its design, the cornett requires a specialized embouchure which is, initially, very tiring to play for any length of time. Cornetts were often replaced by violins in consort music and cornetts could be similarly used as a substitutes for violins in consort music and sacred music. Cornettists were frequently violinists. The embouchure is the use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips to the mouthpiece of a wind instrument. ...

Cornetts were used to reinforce the human voice in choirs, and many commentators suggested that the sound of a well played cornett, heard at a distance, somewhat resembled the sound of a human voice. The place of the cornett was never really filled by any other instrument and it wasn't until the second half of the 20th century that the cornett revival gave music lovers a chance to hear the sound of this instrument again in its proper context.

The cornett and authentic performance

As a result of the recent early music renaissance, the cornett has been rediscovered, and as before attracts the finest players. In many pieces (particularly those of early to mid Baroque composers such as Claudio Monteverdi, Giovanni Gabrieli, Francesco Cavalli, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Giovanni Battista Riccio, Dario Castello, Antonio Bertali, Pavel Josef Vejvanovský, Jan Křtitel Tolar, Michael Praetorius, Johann Hermann Schein, Samuel Scheidt, Sebastian Knüpfer, Johann Schelle, Johann Andreas Pachelbel, Giovanni Felice Sances, Johann Joseph Fux, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Andreas Hofer, Alessandro Stradella, Matthew Locke, John Adson and Heinrich Schütz) the cornett is indispensable in performance, and the music suffers if other instruments substitute for them. The violin was the usual stubstitute for the cornetto in historical music. The recorder, modern Bb trumpet, oboe and soprano saxophone have all been used as substitutes for the cornetto in modern performances. Early music is European classical music before the classical music era and after Ancient music. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... Giovanni Gabrieli Giovanni Gabrieli (c. ... Francesco Cavalli (February 14, 1602 – January 14, 1676), Italian composer, was born at Crema. ... Girolamo Frescobaldi (September, 1583 – March 1, 1643) was an Italian musician, one of the most important composers of keyboard music in the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. ... Dario Castello (?–c. ... Antonio Bertali (March, 1605 – April 17, 1669) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. ... Pavel Josef Vejvanovský (b Hukvaldy, c 1633/39; d Kroměříž, 1693) Czech composer and trumpeter. ... Jan KÅ™titel Tolar [Johannes Baptista Dolar] (fl Bohemia/Moravia, late 17th century) - composer and contemporary of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Andreas Hofer and Pavel Josef Vejvanovský. Tolar composed some large scale instrumental and vocal works, notably: Sonata à 13: 2 Violini, 2 Viole, Fagotto, 2 Clarini... Michael Praetorius. ... Johann Schein Johann Hermann Schein (January 20, 1586 – November 19, 1630) was a German composer of the early Baroque era. ... Samuel Scheidt (baptized November 3, 1587 – March 24, 1653) was a German composer, organist and teacher of the early Baroque era. ... Sebastian Knüpfer (September 6, 1644 – Asch, Bavaria (now AÅ¡, Czech Republic) - October 10, 1676 – Leipzig, Germany) was a German composer. ... Johann Pachelbel (IPA: []) (baptized September 1, 1653 – March 3, 1706) was a German Baroque composer, organist and teacher who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. ... Johann Joseph Fux (1660 – February 13, 1741) was an Austrian composer, music theorist and pedagogue of the late Baroque era. ... Johann Heinrich von Schmelzer (1623 – 1688) was an Austrian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. ... Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (August 12, 1644 – May 3, 1704) was a Bohemian composer and violinist. ... Andreas Hofer (b Reichenhall, 1629; d Salzburg, 1684) was a prominent composer and contemporary of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber. ... Alessandro Stradella (April 3, 1639 - February 25, 1682) was an Italian composer of the middle Baroque. ... Matthew Locke (1730 - 7 September 1801) was a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1793 and 1799. ... John Adson (c. ... Heinrich Schütz. ...

External links

• A page about the cornett
• Christopher Monk Instruments, one of the more well-known modern makers of cornetts
• The English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble, a performance group that makes use of the cornett
• A possibility to build your own curved cornett

See also

• Cornettino
• Tenor cornett
• Alto Cornett
• Bass Cornett
• Mute Cornett