Tenor cornett
Encyclopedia
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 (lowest) 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. The instrument has a useful range of approximately two and a half octaves, however, an experienced player with a strong embouchure
may be able to push the instrument higher.
The tenor cornett was used by composers like Giovanni Gabrieli
, Heinrich Schütz
and Orlando di Lasso as an alto or tenor voice in an ensemble of cornett
s and trombone
s. Walther's Fugen, 1542, marked 'especially for cornetts', need a tenor on the lowest line.
Like most specimens of treble cornetts, tenor cornetts were usually pitched in Chorton or Kornett-ton, circa a' = 466 Hz - around a semi-tone higher than modern concert pitch, which is a' = 440 Hz.
and Ist nicht Ephraim mein teurer Sohn SWV 40 (from the great Psalmen Davids of 1619) by Heinrich Schütz
, both of these works feature low cornetto lines written in the C tenor clef.
of the tenor cornett is c to around e". However, an experienced player with a powerful embouchure and a small bore instrument may reach g" or higher.
or sound quality of the tenor cornett is somewhat horn-like with an agreeable woodwind character. In the hands of an experienced player, the tenor cornett has a smooth sound, which is an ideal link between the sound of the higher cornetti and the lower trombones. Some have described the sound as "foggy".
The instrument blends extremely well with male voices, particularly those of countertenors. It must be noted that Michael Praetorius
was not enthusiastic about the sound of the tenor cornett, he describes it as "bullocky and horn-like" in his Syntagma Musicum of 1619. He suggests that a trombone is to be preferred and the alto and tenor voices of cornett and trombone ensembles was usually played on trombones. However, tenor cornetts seem to have been common enough and composers like Gabrieli, Lassus, Hassler and Schütz (the 4th cornetto part of the Psalmen Davids of 1619 requires a tenor cornett) frequently made use of this instrument. It was speculated, by Christopher Monk, that Praetorius heard the instrument played rather badly on several occasions. The In Dulci Jubilo à 20 cum Tubis setting by Praetorius
from his vast Polyhymnia Caduceatrix & Panegyrica of 1619, seems to require a tenor cornett on the third line of Choro I, the part is scored for a viola (alto) and a cornett playing together. The 1619 Polyhymnia and, indeed, other collections by Praetorius, contain works with parts plausibly intended for tenor cornetts.
The tenor cornett has a powerful forte, yet its piano is soft enough to render it a suitable substitute for the C bass in a recorder
consort
. Cornettists Douglas Kirk and Nicholas Perry very effectively and beguilingly play tenor cornetts in the 1991 recording Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzonas, Sonatas & Motets by the Taverner Consort, Choir & Players, directed by Andrew Parrott
. Originally on EMI
(CDC 7 54265 2), this recording is now available on the Virgin label. Roland Wilson
and his group Musica Fiata employ tenor cornetts in their recordings of the Psalmen Davids of Heinrich Schütz
and the Music for San Rocco recording of music by Giovanni Gabrieli
and his contemporaries. Both recordings are available on the Sony
label.
. The timbre of the small bore tenor cornetti is more "focused" and incisive than that of their large bore counterparts. Some modern cornett makers, like Christopher Monk, for instance, have made both varieties of tenor cornett available to customers.
, Schein
, Scheidt
, Praetorius
, Gabrieli
, Viadana
and other composers from 16th and 17th century Venice
, the tenor cornett appears to have been employed as the 3rd or 4th voice in instrumental and vocal music, usually playing alto or tenor ranged musical parts. Works which employ three or more cornetts in a single "choir" frequently require the use of a tenor cornett on the lowest line specified for the cornetts. Orlando di Lassus employed the tenor cornett in various Broken consort
combinations of instruments in performances under his direction at the Munich
court. Trojano, a singer at the Munich court, lists the instrumentations of a number of works under the direction of Lassus in 1569. One work included: 8 viols, 8 viole da braccio (violins, violas, cellos, etc.), 8 mixed wind; fagotto, corna-musa, mute cornett, cornett, tenor cornett, flute, dolzaina and a bass trombone. It was also a popular instrument with Renaissance Waits
.
Renaissance
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 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...
periods. This instrument was normally built in C and the pedal (lowest) 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. The instrument has a useful range of approximately two and a half octaves, however, an experienced player with a strong embouchure
Embouchure
The embouchure is the use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips to the mouthpiece of woodwind instruments or the mouthpiece of the brass instruments.The word is of French origin and is related to the root bouche , 'mouth'....
may be able to push the instrument higher.
The tenor cornett was used by composers like 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...
, 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...
and Orlando di Lasso as an alto or tenor voice in an ensemble of 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...
s and trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
s. Walther's Fugen, 1542, marked 'especially for cornetts', need a tenor on the lowest line.
Like most specimens of treble cornetts, tenor cornetts were usually pitched in Chorton or Kornett-ton, circa a' = 466 Hz - around a semi-tone higher than modern concert pitch, which is a' = 440 Hz.
Nomenclature
The tenor cornett was also known as the lyzard, lizarden, lysarden or lyzarden, on account of the "S" shape of the instrument. The instrument was also known as the cornetto tenore, cornetto grosso, cornetto storto or cornone, in Italian, and Corno, Tenor-Zink or Groß Tenor-Zink in German. In a number of works from the late 16th and early 17th centuries there are parts for tenor cornetts which feature only the word "Cornetto" or "Cornetto ô Trombon" above or next to the part. We know that such parts are intended for the tenor cornett on account of the tessitura of the musical line and the fact that the C tenor clef is used. For example, see: Canzon in echo duodecimi toni à 10 by Giovanni GabrieliGiovanni 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...
and Ist nicht Ephraim mein teurer Sohn SWV 40 (from the great Psalmen Davids of 1619) by 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...
, both of these works feature low cornetto lines written in the C tenor clef.
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...
of the tenor cornett is c to around e". However, an experienced player with a powerful embouchure and a small bore instrument may reach g" or higher.
Timbre
The timbreTimbre
In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
or sound quality of the tenor cornett is somewhat horn-like with an agreeable woodwind character. In the hands of an experienced player, the tenor cornett has a smooth sound, which is an ideal link between the sound of the higher cornetti and the lower trombones. Some have described the sound as "foggy".
The instrument blends extremely well with male voices, particularly those of countertenors. It must be noted that Michael Praetorius
Michael 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...
was not enthusiastic about the sound of the tenor cornett, he describes it as "bullocky and horn-like" in his Syntagma Musicum of 1619. He suggests that a trombone is to be preferred and the alto and tenor voices of cornett and trombone ensembles was usually played on trombones. However, tenor cornetts seem to have been common enough and composers like Gabrieli, Lassus, Hassler and Schütz (the 4th cornetto part of the Psalmen Davids of 1619 requires a tenor cornett) frequently made use of this instrument. It was speculated, by Christopher Monk, that Praetorius heard the instrument played rather badly on several occasions. The In Dulci Jubilo à 20 cum Tubis setting by 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",...
from his vast Polyhymnia Caduceatrix & Panegyrica of 1619, seems to require a tenor cornett on the third line of Choro I, the part is scored for a viola (alto) and a cornett playing together. The 1619 Polyhymnia and, indeed, other collections by Praetorius, contain works with parts plausibly intended for tenor cornetts.
The tenor cornett has a powerful forte, yet its piano is soft enough to render it a suitable substitute for the C bass in a recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
consort
Consort of instruments
A consort of instruments was a phrase used in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to indicate an instrumental ensemble. These could be of the same or a variety of instruments. Consort music enjoyed considerable popularity at court and in households of the wealthy in the...
. Cornettists Douglas Kirk and Nicholas Perry very effectively and beguilingly play tenor cornetts in the 1991 recording Giovanni Gabrieli: Canzonas, Sonatas & Motets by the Taverner Consort, Choir & Players, directed by Andrew Parrott
Andrew Parrott
Andrew Parrott is a British conductor, perhaps best known for his pioneering historically informed performances of pre-classical music. He conducts a wide range of repertoire, including contemporary music. He conducted the premiere of Judith Weir's A Night at the Chinese Opera...
. Originally on EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
(CDC 7 54265 2), this recording is now available on the Virgin label. Roland Wilson
Roland Wilson (conductor)
Roland Wilson is an American cornet player, and conductor based in Germany.Roland Wilson originally studied trumpet at the Royal College of Music, London, then specializing in the baroque cornet...
and his group Musica Fiata employ tenor cornetts in their recordings of the Psalmen Davids of 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...
and the Music for San Rocco recording of music 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...
and his contemporaries. Both recordings are available on the Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
label.
Variants
Tenor cornetts seem to have come in two varieties - small bore and large bore. The smaller bored instruments seem to have been "scaled up" cornetts, true alto or tenor cornetts. However, a number of instruments with a larger bore have survived and these instruments seem to have had a sound somewhat reminiscent of the serpentSerpent (instrument)
A serpent is a bass wind instrument, descended from the cornett, and a distant ancestor of the tuba, with a mouthpiece like a brass instrument but side holes like a woodwind. It is usually a long cone bent into a snakelike shape, hence the name. The serpent is closely related to the cornett,...
. The timbre of the small bore tenor cornetti is more "focused" and incisive than that of their large bore counterparts. Some modern cornett makers, like Christopher Monk, for instance, have made both varieties of tenor cornett available to customers.
Usage
The tenor cornett was used almost exclusively as a consort instrument. No solo music survives for this instrument. In the works of SchützHeinrich 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...
, Schein
Schein
Schein is the surname of:* Charles Schein, polymer chemist* Edgar Schein, a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management* Johann Hermann Schein , German composer* Marcel Schein, Bohemian physician* Andras Schein, Visual artist...
, Scheidt
Scheidt
Scheidt may refer to the following:People:* Mathias Scheidt , Archbishop of Vienna * Samuel Scheidt and his younger brother Gottfried Scheidt , German Baroque composers of the North German school* Edward M. Scheidt , American cryptographer, ex-Chairman of the CIA Cryptographic Center* Daniel...
, 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",...
, Gabrieli
Gabrieli
Gabrieli as a surname can refer to:* Andrea Gabrieli , Italian composer and organist at San Marco di Venezia* Giovanni Gabrieli , composer and organist at San Marco di Venezia...
, Viadana
Lodovico Grossi da Viadana
Lodovico Grossi da Viadana was an Italian composer, teacher, and Franciscan friar of the Order of Minor Observants...
and other composers from 16th and 17th century Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, the tenor cornett appears to have been employed as the 3rd or 4th voice in instrumental and vocal music, usually playing alto or tenor ranged musical parts. Works which employ three or more cornetts in a single "choir" frequently require the use of a tenor cornett on the lowest line specified for the cornetts. Orlando di Lassus employed the tenor cornett in various Broken consort
Broken consort
A broken consort in English early Baroque musical terminology refers to ensembles featuring instruments from more than one family, for example a group featuring both string and wind instruments...
combinations of instruments in performances under his direction at the Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
court. Trojano, a singer at the Munich court, lists the instrumentations of a number of works under the direction of Lassus in 1569. One work included: 8 viols, 8 viole da braccio (violins, violas, cellos, etc.), 8 mixed wind; fagotto, corna-musa, mute cornett, cornett, tenor cornett, flute, dolzaina and a bass trombone. It was also a popular instrument with Renaissance Waits
Wait (musician)
Waits or Waites were British town pipers. From medieval times up to the beginning of the 19th century, every British town and city of any note had a band of Waites...
.