Ru
EnV. Leonov, I. Palkina
Cornett (zinc) and criteria of pitch structure in the 16th–18th centuries
The article notes that the history of musical performing art in Western Europe typically covers a retrospective of the initial emergence, development, and subsequent use of a particular instrument (with the names of authoritative instrument masters, composers, etc.). However, these processes are also largely conditioned by widespread notions of pitch coordination, commonly referred to as tuning and system. It is emphasized that the pressing need for a harmonious sound among instruments performing together was recognized in the Renaissance, thanks to the active development of polyphony and the emergence of ensemble collaborations – consorts.
The article explores the structure, functional purpose, and role of the cornett family, which combined the various properties of brass and woodwind instruments, in establishing and refining Renaissance and early Baroque pitch guidelines. The reasons why the appropriate con-servative set of instruments became the most important tuning criterion, traditionally associated with multiple pitch concepts in Western Europe, are revealed. Information is provided on possi-ble tuning methods for the cornett itself, as described in the treatise “Compendium musicale” by B. Bismantova, a cornettist and music theorist of the second half in the 17th century. This overview of the aforementioned pitch differentiation notes the diversity of corresponding reference points, due to which the actual discrepancies between certain tuning systems sometimes reached a minor third or more. The motivations that contributed to the functional separation of the designated tuning systems are revealed: in the Baroque era, the cornett tone (corton), choral tone (chorton), and chamber tone (chamberton) were used. The reasons for the cornett’s ouster from musical practice (18th century) are outlined, along with the simultaneous loss of its former role as the “primary expert” in pitch. The path to the formation of a unified system of pitch standards, which began in the 19th century, is elucidated.
Key words
performing practice in Western Europe of the 16th and 17th centuries, cornett as the paramount criterion for organ tuning, B. Bismantova’s “Compendium musicale”, methods of pitch correction, triad of tuning systems (“tones”).
For citation
Leonov V., Palkina I. Cornett (zinc) and criteria of pitch structure in the 16th–18th centuries. In: South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2026. No. 1. Pp. 52–59.
