The Cornett

When we speak of the cornett in the seventeenth century, we must speak of a family of instruments differing in size and tonal characteristics. Each of these instrument types had specific functions and patterns of use (often differing from country to country or region to region).

The cornett family may be divided into two main groups: curved and straight. The principal group was that comprising the curved cornetts, also sometimes called “black cornetts” (cornetti neri) since they were nearly always made of two pieces of wood glued together down the length of the instrument and covered with blackdyed leather or parchment to ensure the integrity of the joint. Curved cornetts came in the following sizes:

Cornetto (Chorzink, dessus de cornet): The standard cornett was pitched in a (cornett pitches always refer to the note that sounds when all fingerholes are covered) and, in the hands of a skillful player, could ascend to d"' or, according to Michael Praetorius, as high as g"'. Because pitches in the seventeenth century were not standardized, it is impossible to fix this a with any precision in absolute terms. Surviving instruments, however, tend to be high with respect to the modern pitch standard of a' = 440. In general, it could be said that they range from approximately a' = 440 to a' = 500, with an average close to a' = 466 (a half tone above a' = 440). For this reason, modern cornett makers have tended to standardize cornett pitches at a' = 440 (usually referred to as “modern pitch”) and a' = 466 (usually called “high pitch” or sometimes Chorton).

The Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble - II

Further south, at the Catholic courts of Munich, Innsbruck, and Vienna, cornetts and sackbuts were cultivated at a level rivaling Venice. Indeed, there was a constant exchange of musicians across the Alps, often involving cornett and trombone players (e.g., cornettist Girolamo Dalla Casa and his trombone-playing brothers, who were employed for a time at the Bavarian court). Music for the Imperial Court at Vienna, in particular, often included brilliantly virtuosic parts for these instruments.

Moreover, literally hundreds, if not thousands, of sacred works in manuscript of composers such as Johann Joseph Fux, Heinrich Biber, Giovanni Francesco Anerio, Giovanni Felice Sances, and Antonio Bertali call for cornetts and sackbuts colla parte or in modestly obbligato roles. Characteristically, these pieces call for an ensemble of one cornett, two trombones, and a curtal (fagotto) instead of a cornett and three trombones.