Historical evidence points to the fact that the basic design of all brass instruments, namely a long tube with a bell-shaped front, has been in existence for well over three thousand years. They probably started out as unwieldy straight lengths, but over time people realised that the tube could the bent into more manageable shapes. We’ve all seen the large rounded Roman horns that start at the mouth, curve round the back and end up perched a few inches above the player’s head. This shows an amazing lack of foresight when it comes to hanging flags from them, but they probably caused fewer injuries and de-helmetings on the march.

Around the start of the nineteenth century, the piston valve was invented, and this meant that the effective length of the tube from mouthpiece to bell could temporarily be lengthened by diverting air along extra sections of tubing. This lengthening of the tube causes the pitch of the note played to be lowered, just as an Alpine horn sounds lower than a piccolo. By including three valves, several different lengths could be achieved, making it easier to play various notes more precisely. Along with the ability of players to change the pitch by changing the shape of their lips to achieve various harmonics of the key note, the valves make the cornet a fully chromatic instrument, i.e. one that can play every semitone in its range.

Most everyday people seeing a cornet being played might well assume it’s a trumpet, but to a musician the two instruments are quite distinct. The first difference is an audible one. Trumpets have quite a shrill, trebly sound and they tend to be rather loud; a cornet’s sound is much mellower, with less top end, and is a touch quieter.

The cornet is shorter than the trumpet, but the structural differences are quite technical. The cornet has what is known as a “conical bore”. This means that the tube diameter gets gradually wider as it goes from the mouthpiece to the bell, where it splays out. This shape reflects the post horn, the valveless bugle-type instrument on which the cornet is based. The trumpet, on the other hand, has a “cylindrical bore”, whereby the tube effectively comprises a series of non-flaring sections, although they do get wider in steps before they reach the bell. The gradual widening of the cornet is responsible for the smoother sound. Finally, although they are called brass instruments, cornets can be made of a silver alloy instead of brass.

If you’ve ever seen a traditional British brass band, you’ll have heard the sound of the cornet. In fact, it is very unusual to have any trumpets at all in a brass band, and it is the cornet that is responsible for the distinct mellow melody over the horns, trombones, euphoniums and tubas. The majority of the cornets will be B flats, but there will probably also be an E flat cornet, known as a soprano cornet.

So next time you think you see a trumpet, have a quick check. It may well be a cornet!

Author Bio: Harry Griffiths created this article for Voodoo E-Commerce on behalf of Cornet suppliers Chappell of Bond Street

Category: Entertainment
Keywords: cornets