The
cornettino was the descant instrument of the
cornettThe 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...
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
cornettThe 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...
was the 'treble' instrument of the family.
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.
The
cornettino was the descant instrument of the
cornettThe 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...
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
cornettThe 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...
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
RenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
and the
BaroqueBaroque is an artistic style prevalent from the late 16th century to the early 18th century. The popularity and success of the Baroque style was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church, which had decided at the time of the Council of Trent that the arts should communicate religious themes in...
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
PraetoriusPraetorius, 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
tessituraIn 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 Nürnberg; two in
WienWien is the German language name for Vienna, the city and federal state in Austria.Wien may also refer to:*Wien International Scholarship, a scholarship instituted by Brandeis University*Wien , in Vienna, Austria*Wien, Wisconsin, United States...
) of mute cornettini (
id est descantDescant 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
madrigalA madrigal is a type of secular vocal music composition, written during the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Throughout most of its history it was polyphonic and unaccompanied by instruments, with the number of voices varying from two to eight, but most frequently three to six...
,
Udite chiari e generosi figli à 16 voci, by
Giovanni GabrieliGiovanni 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.-Life:Gabrieli was most likely 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 was a German composer, organist, and writer about music. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of musical forms based on Protestant hymns.- Life :He was born Michael Schultze, the youngest son of a Lutheran...
,
Heinrich SchützHeinrich 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 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...
, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber,
Matthias WeckmannMatthias Weckmann was a North German musician and composer of the Baroque period. He was born in Niederdorla and died in Hamburg.- Life :...
,
Antonio BertaliAntonio Mortimer Bertali was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era.He was born in Verona and received early music education there. Probably from 1624, he was employed as court musician in Vienna by Emperor Ferdinand II. In 1649 Bertali succeeded Giovanni Valentini as court...
, Johann Caspar Horn,
Johann Erasmus KindermannJohann 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 VierdanckJohann Vierdanck was a German violinist, cornettist, and composer of the Baroque period.-Life:...
,
Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and organist whose ecclesiastical 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 TelemannGeorg Philipp Telemann was a German Baroque music composer and multi-instrumentalist, born in Magdeburg. Self-taught in music, he studied law at the University of Leipzig...
.
A small selection of extant works featuring the cornettino:
- Antonio Bertali
Antonio Mortimer Bertali was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era.He was born in Verona and received early music education there. Probably from 1624, he was employed as court musician in Vienna by Emperor Ferdinand II. In 1649 Bertali succeeded Giovanni Valentini as court...
Sonata Sancti Leopoldi à 14: 2 Violini, 2 Cornettini, 2 Clarini, 3 Violettae, Cornetto muto, 4 Tromboni, Organo.
- Kaspar Förster
Kaspar 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 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...
Sonata II a otto, due cori: Violino, 3 Violae, Cornettino, 3 Tromboni, Organo.
- 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...
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 Valentini
Giovanni 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 Weckmann
Matthias Weckmann was a North 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 Bütner 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 Bütner 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 Cazzati
Maurizio Cazzati , was a northern Italian composer of the seventeenth century.-Biography:Cazzati was born in Luzzara, Duchy of Mantua. In spite of being almost unknown today, during his lifetime he served as a successful music director in many cities near his birthplace, including Mantua, Bozzolo,...
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 Hammerschmidt
Andreas 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 Hammerschmidt
Andreas 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 Hammerschmidt
Andreas 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 Hammerschmidt
Andreas 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 Hammerschmidt
Andreas 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 Knüpfer
Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer (6 September 1633; Asch, Bavaria (now Aš, Czech Republic 10 October 1676; Leipzig, Germany) was a German composer. He was Kantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, and director of the city’s music.-External links:...
Herr, ich habe lieb die Städte deines Hauses: ATB, 2 Cornettini, Trombone, Basso continuo.
- Sebastian Knüpfer
Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer (6 September 1633; Asch, Bavaria (now Aš, Czech Republic 10 October 1676; Leipzig, Germany) was a German composer. He was Kantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, and director of the city’s music.-External links:...
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 Knüpfer
Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer (6 September 1633; Asch, Bavaria (now Aš, Czech Republic 10 October 1676; Leipzig, Germany) was a German composer. He was Kantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, and director of the city’s music.-External links:...
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 Knüpfer
Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer (6 September 1633; Asch, Bavaria (now Aš, Czech Republic 10 October 1676; Leipzig, Germany) was a German composer. He was Kantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, and director of the city’s music.-External links:...
O benignissime Jesu à 6, 10: ATB concertato, SATB ripieno, 2 Violini o 2 Cornettini, Viola da Gamba o Bombard o Trombone, Organo.
- Sebastian Knüpfer
Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer (6 September 1633; Asch, Bavaria (now Aš, Czech Republic 10 October 1676; Leipzig, Germany) was a German composer. He was Kantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, and director of the city’s music.-External links:...
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 Knüpfer
Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer (6 September 1633; Asch, Bavaria (now Aš, Czech Republic 10 October 1676; Leipzig, Germany) was a German composer. He was Kantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, and director of the city’s music.-External links:...
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 Knüpfer
Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer (6 September 1633; Asch, Bavaria (now Aš, Czech Republic 10 October 1676; Leipzig, Germany) was a German composer. He was Kantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, and director of the city’s music.-External links:...
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 Knüpfer
Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer Sebastian Knüpfer (6 September 1633; Asch, Bavaria (now Aš, Czech Republic 10 October 1676; Leipzig, Germany) was a German composer. He was Kantor of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, and director of the city’s music.-External links:...
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 HoferAndreas Hofer was a German composer of the Baroque age. 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 noted for his large scaled...
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 vociThe 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
CantataA cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment and often containing more than one movement.-Historical context:...
Christum wir sollen loben schon,
BWVThe Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis is the numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. The prefix BWV, followed by the work's number now is the shorthand identification for Bach's compositions...
121). The accepted English plurals of "cornettino" are "cornettini" and "cornettinos".
See also
- 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...
- Tenor cornett
The 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 Cornett
- Mute Cornett :The 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
- Sackbut
Sackbut refers to a trombone from the Renaissance and Baroque Eras. 'Sackbut' is often used in recent times to differentiate a historic trombone from a modern one...