My Tip of the Month

Early music – as it is called today – was long a rather exotic genre in the German music landscape. This may also be due to the sometimes – from today’s viewpoint – unusual instruments played. We may have heard someone play the cornet, we might have a favourite flavour of Cornetto, but what in the world is a cornett? By Maren Rose

When we hear the word cornett, it may first call a trumpet to mind. But who has ever heard of the wind instrument (also known as the cornetto or zink) that was an important solo instrument mainly in the 17th century? The cornett looks very strange to modern eyes. It is made of wood (not zinc), covered with black leather, usually bent to one side, has six to seven finger holes and is played by blowing into a very small mouthpiece similar to that of a trumpet. Of course, this says nothing about its sound, but before I waste too many words on that I’d rather simply recommend three CDs that will take you on a “cornett discovery voyage.”

Let’s start you off with Gabrieli – Sonate e Canzoni (Harmonia mundi 2010), performed by the Ensemble Concertino Palatino. This CD is just the thing to be taken away to the world of the Venetian Renaissance since Giovanni Gabrieli is considered one of the first composers who made instrumental music on a par with vocal music. Thirty seconds into the first canzona, two cornetts begin, giving us an idea why this instrument was so appealing to its contemporaries: the brilliance of the high notes in its soft soprano voice blends beautifully with the overall sound of the ensemble. At the same time, occasional embellishments reveal its incredible agility.


There are also outstanding cornett passages in the music of Claudio Monteverdi. If you are unfamiliar with his Marian Vespers of 1610, you should first take a listen to the recording Monteverdi – vespro della beata virgine on the French K617 label. The Vespers of 1610 is a splendid work as such but the cornetts are also shown off to their best advantage – played here by Les Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse. At the very beginning of the piece they play the descant with wonderful virtuosity. Or, on the second CD, just jump straight to the Sancta Maria ora pro nobis or Ave maris stella where they can be heard more directly and in a contest with violins and recorders. Exquisite!

The cornett was said to be able to imitate the human voice quite well. Therefore, here’s my third recommendation for another Monteverdi CD: Monteverdi – Teatro d'Amore (Virgin Classics 2009) by the Ensemble L'Arpeggiata under the gambist Christina Pluhar. The interplay of voice and cornett is distinctly heard in the solos by soprano Nuria Rial (Chiome d'oro or Con che soavità), while in Si dolce è 'l tormenta countertenor Philippe Jaroussky also alternates heartrendingly with the cornett. Actually, I would recommend this CD in its entirety. It is not only a wonderful introduction to the cornett, but also reveals how stirring and touching early music can be – and how astonishingly close Baroque and jazz music can get. But that’s another story.