I have found that trumpeters who do not play cornet will insist that there is no difference between the two instruments. OTH, cornetists will insist that a marked difference exists. As both a band and orchestra conductor I do recognize a difference in the sound. Mind you, I grew up (mid-50s) playing in bands with large contingents of both instruments.
The comment about Tschaikovsky's use reminds me that "Capriccio Italien" calls for both cornets and trumpets. For a guest conducting gig a while back I asked for both instruments in Berlioz' orchestration of von Weber's "Invitation to the Dance". None of the regular trumpeters owned cornets so auxiliary players were engaged for the parts, causing bit of grumping by the trumpeters! I have heard that Clarke commented that he could not understand why anyone would want to play cornet parts on the trumpet. Maybe he knew something about the different sound from the two? Guy Hayden -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Raymond Horton Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 10:28 AM To: finale@shsu.edu Subject: Re: [Finale] Turn-of-the-century Band Music dhbailey wrote: > Ken Moore wrote: >> John Howell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> The problem is actually that the trumpet has become the all-purpose >>> instrument, needed for orchestral work, jazz band work, and marching >>> band work. The cornet, especially one played with the proper >>> mouthpiece and technique, is a vanishing voice out of choice, and >>> not because instruments are not available. >> >> It's not just the wind band that needs it. Lots of French music of >> the 19th C., from Berlioz to Dukas (some demanding passages in >> "Sorcerer's Apprentice"), has both cornet and trumpet parts, and >> differentiates them markedly; it is specified in some Tchaikovsky >> ballets and Prokofiev's "Lieutenat Kijé" also. I would expect >> historically informed conductors like Norrington (who did the Brahms >> symphonies with a near approximation to the original instruments >> about 10 years ago) and Rattle to insist on having the right instrument. >> > > > I would expect that with cornets fairly common these days that more > than just specialty conductors would request the accurate > instrumentation, just as they do for all the other instruments. > > Smaller college, high school and community orchestras would be where I > would expect to find all the parts played on trumpets. > With pro orchestras cornet use varies a lot according to preferences of players and conductors. It is common to see all the parts played on trumpets. Raymond Horton _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
