Expert: Mike Pawul - 11/15/2006

Question
ive been playin trumpet for about 4-5 years now and love it and the history behind. in english class im doing a compare and contrast paper on the difference between coronets and trumpets. ive been able to find a lot on the internet but i need to know quite a bit yet. the only question i would like answered at the moment is WHEN was the coronet not so much created but brought into music and used in bands and such. I found that trumpets began being used around the 19th century in orchestras and such for thier projection but coronets was a blank. if you could help me out on this in anyway it would be greatly appreciated.  

Answer
Collin, First here is a brief cornet history:
CLASSIFICATION:   
Aerophone, Brass instrument, Conical bore

HISTORY:    
The beginnings of the cornet evolved from the French post horn. It was wound into a single coil and fitted with two valves by instrument maker Halary of Paris around the year 1825. This instrument was named the valve cornet. The final form was called cornet d’harmonie, and then the name was changed to cornet a pistons. In the early years of the instrument in Germany the name was Posthorn mi Ventil. The valved instrument in England was known as the cornopean, cornet, stop horn, or a small stop horn. Halary referred to the new instrument as cornet d’harmonie, and he marked with crooks for C, B, A-flat, and G.

The cornet has always been a part of musical ensembles in the United States. In the first part of the 1900's, the cornet was the solo instrument of choice with many cornet virtuosos performing all across the country as well as the capitols of Europe. In the mid-1900's, the instrument was all but replaced by the trumpet. Much of the concert band music over the years was composed with the cornet in mind, but today, most ensembles use the cornet and trumpet interchangeably and most virtuoso work is performed on the trumpet. Today, the cornet is used primarily in the British Brass Band style of music where the cornet is a unique section in the ensemble.

The cornet is still the horn of choice in Dixieland style and brass bands in the US as well as England. Hope this helped you!