cornet (instrument)

Soprano three-valved brass instrument, usually in B flat. It is similar in size to the trumpet but squatter in shape, and developed from the coiled post-horn in Austria and Germany between about 1820 and 1850 for military band use. Its cylindrical bore, compact shape, and deeper conical bell, give it greater speed and agility of intonation than the trumpet, at the expense of less tonal precision and brilliance. A small E flat cornet is standard in brass bands alongside a B flat cornet section.

The cornet is typically played with vibrato, and has its own repertoire of virtuoso pieces, heard in brass band concerts and contests, and consisting of voicelike airs, character pieces, Victorian dance forms, and sets of variations. A famous early player was the Frenchman Arban, for whom Hector Berlioz wrote an optional obbligato for the cornet in his Symphonie fantastique (1830)(often reinstated now in authentic performance). The cornet is a featured solo in Igor Stravinsky's ballet Petrushka (1911) and The Soldier's Tale (1918), though its part is now more usually played by the trumpet. It should not be confused with the cornett.