Cornettino
Encyclopedia
The cornettino was the descant instrument of the cornett
o family. Cornettini usually featured a primary scale of C or D major, with middle C or the adjacent D the pedal note of the instrument. The regular cornett
was the 'treble' instrument of the family.
and the Baroque
musical periods. Cornettini were featured extensively in Northern European music and almost ignored entirely by Southern European composers, except those who migrated north. In the time of Praetorius
, the cornettino seems to have sometimes been used in sacred vocal music to play in unison with voices (esp. tenors) an octave higher. Later in the 17th century, Northern European composers frequently used cornettini in large scale Masses, cantatas and other sacred music. The cornettino was favoured by the Stadtpfeiffen and composers like Johann Caspar Horn and Matthias Spiegler wrote a significant quantity of consort music featuring the one to three cornettini. It appears that the cornettino continued to be used, primarily in church music and in Stadtpfeiffer bands, in some places in Europe until the late 18th century. Telemann and J. S. Bach used the cornettino in several church cantatas.
or compass/range of the cornettino is c' to around g"'.
A player with a strong embouchure may be able to coax higher notes from this instrument.
; two in Vienna
) of mute cornettini (id est descant
mute cornetti) have survived and these instruments are straight, like their treble and alto counterparts, with an integral mouthpiece. No extant music for the mute cornettino has yet come to light and the function of this instrument remains obscure. The surviving score of the large scale madrigal
, Udite chiari e generosi figli à 16 voci, by Giovanni Gabrieli
, requires a cornetto muto on the cantus line of Choro I.
Since this part requires the instrument to play up to a", a mute cornettino may have been intended by the composer - certainly this part would be readily playable on such an instrument, although, the tessitura of the part is well within the compass of a regular mute cornett in G or F.
, Heinrich Schütz
, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer
, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Matthias Weckmann
, Antonio Bertali
, Johann Caspar Horn, Johann Erasmus Kindermann
, Matthias Spiegler, Johann Vierdanck
, Johann Sebastian Bach
and Georg Philipp Telemann
.
A small selection of extant works featuring the cornettino:
Works by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber and Andreas Hofer
specify the cornetto in a number of sacred compositions, but one may presume that such parts were intended to be played on cornettini on account of the tessitura of such parts. The Missa Salisburgensis à 53 voci
is an example.
Christum wir sollen loben schon, BWV 121
). The accepted English plurals of "cornettino" are "cornettini" and "cornettinos".
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.-Construction:There are three basic types of...
o family. Cornettini usually featured a primary scale of C or D major, with middle C or the adjacent D the pedal note of the instrument. The regular cornett
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.-Construction:There are three basic types of...
was the 'treble' instrument of the family.
Construction
Like the cornetto, the cornettino was made from two pieces of wood, carved out and glued together. The instrument was covered in leather or parchment to prevent leaks and improve the grip for the player. Some instruments were made from ivory and these instruments were, accordingly, not covered in leather. The mouthpieces were made from animal horn, bone or ivory. Some instruments featured metal mountings at one or both ends of the instrument. These mountings helps prevent the fraying of the leather or parchment and were decorative. Silver and gold were used for these mountings.History
Cornettini were common in the high RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
musical periods. Cornettini were featured extensively in Northern European music and almost ignored entirely by Southern European composers, except those who migrated north. In the time of Praetorius
Praetorius
Praetorius, Prätorius, Prætorius was the name of several musicians and scholars in Germany.In Germany of the 16th and 17th centuries it became a fashion that educated people named "Schulze" or "Schultheiß" or "Richter", which means "judge", put their name into the Latin language as "Praetorius",...
, the cornettino seems to have sometimes been used in sacred vocal music to play in unison with voices (esp. tenors) an octave higher. Later in the 17th century, Northern European composers frequently used cornettini in large scale Masses, cantatas and other sacred music. The cornettino was favoured by the Stadtpfeiffen and composers like Johann Caspar Horn and Matthias Spiegler wrote a significant quantity of consort music featuring the one to three cornettini. It appears that the cornettino continued to be used, primarily in church music and in Stadtpfeiffer bands, in some places in Europe until the late 18th century. Telemann and J. S. Bach used the cornettino in several church cantatas.
Tessitura
The tessituraTessitura
In music, the term tessitura generally describes the most musically acceptable and comfortable range for a given singer or, less frequently, musical instrument; the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding texture or timbre...
or compass/range of the cornettino is c' to around g"'.
A player with a strong embouchure may be able to coax higher notes from this instrument.
Pitch
Almost all surviving specimens of this instrument are pitched circa a' = 466 Hz or higher. Like organs, cornetts and trombones, the cornettino was regarded as primarily an ecclesiastical instrument and hence was constructed in Chor-ton or Kornett-ton pitch.Timbre
The timbre of the cornettino is more pungent, brighter and a little more incisive than that of the regular cornetto. Cornettini were frequently used in large consorts and orchestras in the company of trumpets and high violin parts. The timbre of the instrument seems to have been regarded by 17th century Northern European composers as very agreeable juxtaposed the natural trumpets of the time which featured a conical bell and a much more "oboe-like" sound and the violins pitched at a' = 466 Hz. The second and third octaves of the cornettino can be made to sound piercing. The primary/fundamental octave has an agreeable "reedy" quality, which is reminiscent of the later oboe.Variants
A small number (three: one in NurembergNuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
; two in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
) of mute cornettini (id est descant
Descant
Descant or discant can refer to several different things in music, depending on the period in question; etymologically, the word means a voice above or removed from others....
mute cornetti) have survived and these instruments are straight, like their treble and alto counterparts, with an integral mouthpiece. No extant music for the mute cornettino has yet come to light and the function of this instrument remains obscure. The surviving score of the large scale madrigal
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
, Udite chiari e generosi figli à 16 voci, by Giovanni Gabrieli
Giovanni Gabrieli
Giovanni Gabrieli was an Italian composer and organist. He was one of the most influential musicians of his time, and represents the culmination of the style of the Venetian School, at the time of the shift from Renaissance to Baroque idioms.-Biography:Gabrieli was born in Venice...
, requires a cornetto muto on the cantus line of Choro I.
Since this part requires the instrument to play up to a", a mute cornettino may have been intended by the composer - certainly this part would be readily playable on such an instrument, although, the tessitura of the part is well within the compass of a regular mute cornett in G or F.
Repertoire
Some composers who specified the use of the cornettino in their scores include: Michael PraetoriusMichael Praetorius
Michael Praetorius was a German composer, organist, and music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of musical forms based on Protestant hymns, many of which reflect an effort to make better the relationship between...
, Heinrich Schütz
Heinrich Schütz
Heinrich Schütz was a German composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and often considered to be one of the most important composers of the 17th century along with Claudio Monteverdi...
, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer was an Austrian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. Almost nothing is known about his early years, but he seems to have arrived in Vienna during the 1630s, and remained composer and musician at the Habsburg court for the rest of his life...
, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, Matthias Weckmann
Matthias Weckmann
Matthias Weckmann was a German musician and composer of the Baroque period. He was born in Niederdorla and died in Hamburg.- Life :...
, Antonio Bertali
Antonio Bertali
Antonio Bertali was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era.He was born in Verona and received early music education there from Stefano Bernardi. Probably from 1624, he was employed as court musician in Vienna by Emperor Ferdinand II. In 1649 Bertali succeeded Giovanni Valentini as...
, Johann Caspar Horn, Johann Erasmus Kindermann
Johann Erasmus Kindermann
Johann Erasmus Kindermann was a German Baroque organist and composer. He was the most important composer of the Nuremberg school in the first half of the 17th century.-Life:...
, Matthias Spiegler, Johann Vierdanck
Johann Vierdanck
Johann Vierdanck was a German violinist, cornettist, and composer of the Baroque period.-Life:...
, Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
and Georg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann
Georg Philipp Telemann was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually...
.
A small selection of extant works featuring the cornettino:
- Antonio BertaliAntonio BertaliAntonio Bertali was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era.He was born in Verona and received early music education there from Stefano Bernardi. Probably from 1624, he was employed as court musician in Vienna by Emperor Ferdinand II. In 1649 Bertali succeeded Giovanni Valentini as...
Sonata Sancti Leopoldi à 14: 2 Violini, 2 Cornettini, 2 Clarini, 3 Violettae, Cornetto muto, 4 Tromboni, Organo. - Kaspar FörsterKaspar FörsterKaspar Förster was a German singer and composer.Förster studied music under his father Kaspar and then under Marco Scacchi in Warsaw...
Sonata a. 7. instrom: 2 Violini, 2 Cornettini, Viola da braccio, Fagotto, Violone, Basso continuo. - Johann Heinrich SchmelzerJohann Heinrich SchmelzerJohann Heinrich Schmelzer was an Austrian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. Almost nothing is known about his early years, but he seems to have arrived in Vienna during the 1630s, and remained composer and musician at the Habsburg court for the rest of his life...
Sonata II a otto, due cori: Violino, 3 Violae, Cornettino, 3 Tromboni, Organo. - Johann Heinrich SchmelzerJohann Heinrich SchmelzerJohann Heinrich Schmelzer was an Austrian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. Almost nothing is known about his early years, but he seems to have arrived in Vienna during the 1630s, and remained composer and musician at the Habsburg court for the rest of his life...
Sonata XII a sette: 2 Cornettini, 2 Trombettae, 3 Tromboni, Organo. - Matthias Spiegler Canzon à 2: Cornettino, Fagotto, Organo.
- Matthias Spiegler Canzon à 3: 2 Violini ô 2 Cornettini, Fagotto, Organo.
- Matthias Spiegler Capriccio à 3: 2 Cornettini, Fagotto, Organo.
- Giovanni ValentiniGiovanni ValentiniGiovanni Valentini was an Italian Baroque composer, poet and keyboard virtuoso. Overshadowed by his contemporaries, Claudio Monteverdi and Heinrich Schütz, Valentini is practically forgotten today, although he occupied one of the most prestigious musical posts of his time...
Sonata à 4: Violino, Cornettino, Trombone, Fagotto, Organo. - Matthias WeckmannMatthias WeckmannMatthias Weckmann was a German musician and composer of the Baroque period. He was born in Niederdorla and died in Hamburg.- Life :...
Sonata à 4[10 sonatas with same scoring]: Cornettino, Violino, Trombone ["o Viola da braccio" in one sonata], Fagotto ["o Bombard" in several], Basso continuo. - Crato BütnerCrato BütnerCrato Bütner was a German baroque composer who was kantor and organist in Danzig , first at the hospital church of St Salvator, then at Gdańsk's oldest church, St Catherine's...
Deus in adjiutorium meum intende à 7, 12: SSATB in concerto, SSATB in ripieno [composer suggests the ripieni may be replaced by 2 Cornetti & 3 Tromboni), 2 Violini, 2 Cornettini, 2 Viole, Viola basso, Bombard grosso. - Crato BütnerCrato BütnerCrato Bütner was a German baroque composer who was kantor and organist in Danzig , first at the hospital church of St Salvator, then at Gdańsk's oldest church, St Catherine's...
Siehe, es hat überwunden à 14,18: SSATTB in concerto, SATB in ripieno, 2 Violini, 2 Cornettini, 2 Trombettae, 3 Tromboni, Viola basso, Bombard grosso. - Samuel Friedrich Capricornus Der Herr ist mein Hirte: SSATTB, 2 Cornettini, 2 Violini, 4 Tromboni o 3 Viole e Fagotto, Basso continuo.
- Maurizio CazzatiMaurizio CazzatiMaurizio Cazzati was a northern Italian composer of the seventeenth century.-Biography:Cazzati was born in Luzzara, Duchy of Mantua...
Deus in Adjutorium meum intende à 7 vel 12: Choir I SATTB; Choir II SATTB ripieno, doubled by Cornetto, 4 Tromboni; 2 Violini, 2 Cornettini, Basso viola, Bombard basso, Fagotto, Organo. - Johann Melchior Gletle Expeditionis musicae classis II ... Op. II, 1668 39 Psalmi Breves All scored thus: SSATB concertato, SSATB in cappella, 2 Violini o 2 Cornettini, 2 Violae o 2 Tromboni, Fagotto o Trombone, Violone, Organo.
- Andreas HammerschmidtAndreas HammerschmidtAndreas Hammerschmidt , the "Orpheus of Zittau," was a German composer and organist, of Bohemian birth, of the early to middle Baroque era...
Freue dich, du Tochter Zion à 6: SSTB 2 Cornettini, Basso continuo. - Andreas HammerschmidtAndreas HammerschmidtAndreas Hammerschmidt , the "Orpheus of Zittau," was a German composer and organist, of Bohemian birth, of the early to middle Baroque era...
O, ihr lieben Hirten à 6: SATB, 2 Cornettini, Basso continuo. - Andreas HammerschmidtAndreas HammerschmidtAndreas Hammerschmidt , the "Orpheus of Zittau," was a German composer and organist, of Bohemian birth, of the early to middle Baroque era...
Was meinestu, wil aus dem Kindlein werden à 5: ATB, 2 Cornettini, Basso continuo. - Andreas HammerschmidtAndreas HammerschmidtAndreas Hammerschmidt , the "Orpheus of Zittau," was a German composer and organist, of Bohemian birth, of the early to middle Baroque era...
Gelobet sey der Herr à 4: AB, 2 Cornettini, Basso continuo. - Andreas HammerschmidtAndreas HammerschmidtAndreas Hammerschmidt , the "Orpheus of Zittau," was a German composer and organist, of Bohemian birth, of the early to middle Baroque era...
Warlich ich sage euch à 7: SSSTB, 2 Cornettini, Basso continuo. - Johann Caspar Horn Lasst uns aus spatzieren fahren: SS, 2 Cornettini, 2 Voilae, Fagotto, Basso continuo.
- Sebastian KnüpferSebastian KnüpferSebastian Knüpfer was a German composer. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig from 1657 to 1676, and director of the city’s music.-Life:...
Herr, ich habe lieb die Städte deines Hauses: ATB, 2 Cornettini, Trombone, Basso continuo. - Sebastian KnüpferSebastian KnüpferSebastian Knüpfer was a German composer. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig from 1657 to 1676, and director of the city’s music.-Life:...
Ich Habe dich zum Licht der Heiden gemacht à 16: SATTB in concerto, SATTB in cappella, 2 Violini, 3 Viole, 2 Cornettini, 3 Tromboni, Fagotto, Organo. - Sebastian KnüpferSebastian KnüpferSebastian Knüpfer was a German composer. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig from 1657 to 1676, and director of the city’s music.-Life:...
Jauchzet dem Herrn alle Welt à 17: SATB, SATB, SATB in ripieno, 2 Violini, 3 Viole, 2 Trombettae, 2 Cornettini, Cornetto, 2 Tromboni, Fagotto, Organo. - Sebastian KnüpferSebastian KnüpferSebastian Knüpfer was a German composer. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig from 1657 to 1676, and director of the city’s music.-Life:...
O benignissime Jesu à 6, 10: ATB concertato, SATB ripieno, 2 Violini o 2 Cornettini, Viola da Gamba o Bombard o Trombone, Organo. - Sebastian KnüpferSebastian KnüpferSebastian Knüpfer was a German composer. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig from 1657 to 1676, and director of the city’s music.-Life:...
Super flumina Babylonis à 10, 15, 19: SATB in concerto, SATB in cappella, 2 Violini, 3 Viole, 2 Cornettini, 3 Tromboni, Fagotto, Organo, Basso continuo. - Sebastian KnüpferSebastian KnüpferSebastian Knüpfer was a German composer. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig from 1657 to 1676, and director of the city’s music.-Life:...
Surgite, populi à 26, 34: SATB in concerto, SATB in cappella, SATB in concerto, SATB in cappella, 5 Trombettae, Timpani, 2 Cornettini, Cornetto muto, 3 Tromboni, 2 Violini, 3 Violae, Fagotto, Organo. - Sebastian KnüpferSebastian KnüpferSebastian Knüpfer was a German composer. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig from 1657 to 1676, and director of the city’s music.-Life:...
Veni Sancte Spiritus à 20, 25, o 30: SSATB in concerto, SSATB in ripieno, 4 Trombettae, Timpani, 2 Cornettini, 3 Tromboni, 2 Violini, 2 Violae, Fagotto, 5 unspecified instruments ripieno, Basso continuo. - Sebastian KnüpferSebastian KnüpferSebastian Knüpfer was a German composer. He was the cantor of the Thomanerchor in Leipzig from 1657 to 1676, and director of the city’s music.-Life:...
Christ lag in Todesbanden à 19: SSATB in concerto, SSATB in cappella, Cornettino, 3 Bombarden, Violino piccolo, Violino, 3 Violae, Basso continuo. - Johann Albrecht Kress In te Domine speravi: Alto, Cornettino, Basso continuo.
Works by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber and Andreas Hofer
Andreas Hofer (composer)
Andreas Hofer was a German composer of the Baroque age.Hofer was born at Reichenhall. He was a contemporary of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, whose predecessor he was in Salzburg in his office of Inspector and "Hofkapellmeister", i.e. director of the court orchestra. Like Biber, Hofer was...
specify the cornetto in a number of sacred compositions, but one may presume that such parts were intended to be played on cornettini on account of the tessitura of such parts. The Missa Salisburgensis à 53 voci
Missa Salisburgensis à 53 voci
The Missa Salisburgensis à 53 voci is, perhaps, the most large-scale piece of extant sacred Baroque music, an archetypical work of the Colossal Baroque. The author of this work is anonymous, however, recent studies of the work suggest that is almost certainly the work of Heinrich Ignaz Franz von...
is an example.
Nomenclature
The cornettino was also known as: Cornettin [Cornettinen], Kornettin, Quart-Zink, Klein Discant Zink, Klein Diskant Zink, Diskant Zink, Krummer Diskant Zink and corñio (as in Bach's CantataCantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
Christum wir sollen loben schon, BWV 121
Christum wir sollen loben schon, BWV 121
Christum wir sollen loben schon , BWV 121, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed the chorale cantata in Leipzig for the Second Day of Christmas and first performed it on 26 December 1724....
). The accepted English plurals of "cornettino" are "cornettini" and "cornettinos".
See also
- CornettCornettThe 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.-Construction:There are three basic types of...
- Tenor cornettTenor cornettThe tenor cornett or lizard was a common musical instrument in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. This instrument was normally built in C and the pedal note of the majority of tenor cornetts was the C below middle C. A number of surviving instruments feature a key to secure the lowest note...
- Mute CornettMute CornettThe mute cornett was an important variant of the treble cornett and it was used in compositions by European composers in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. A significant number of mute cornetts have survived and are preserved in various European museums...
- Alto Cornett
- Bass Cornett
- SackbutSackbutThe sackbut is a trombone from the Renaissance and Baroque eras, i.e., a musical instrument in the brass family similar to the trumpet except characterised by a telescopic slide with which the player varies the length of the tube to change pitches, thus allowing them to obtain chromaticism, as...