Cornet

As Printed on a Score

Labels the valved cornet, abbreviated Cnt., with its key (Cornet in B♭, sometimes in A). It is written in treble clef; in B-flat it sounds a whole step lower. Beware of editions of Bach chorales and other early music that print “Cornet” for the cornett (cornetto), a wooden Renaissance instrument doubling the sopranos.

Abbreviations: Cnt., Cnt

Also spelled: Cornets

How Composers Use It

The cornet’s more conical bore gives it a rounder, warmer tone than the trumpet and great agility. It is the lead voice of the British brass band and was a regular orchestral partner of the trumpets in French and Russian scores, usually taking the melodic lines; Stravinsky’s Petrushka (1911 version) and Elgar’s Cockaigne use cornets. Write it like a B-flat trumpet part and give it lyrical, nimble material.

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