The saga of the cornet and six of its outstanding artists

The saga of the cornet virtuoso no doubt began just before 1830 with the application of valves to the natural post horn. This historic event at long last created a soprano brass wind instrument with unlimited technical possibilities. As early as 1848 Jean Baptiste Arban performed his momentous recital at the Paris Conservatoire for the purpose of demonstrating the expanded capabilities of this newly perfected cornet. By 1850 the cornet had replaced its nearest rival, the keyed bugle, and emerged as a prominent solo instrument of great beauty and agility. Three years later, the French impresario-conductor Antoine Jullien featured two highly acclaimed pioneer cornetists, Mathew Arbuckle and his teacher Hermann König, on a series of promenade concerts in Boston and New York. Then in 1864 Arban published his celebrated method that had such far-reaching implications on the coming generations. Even today, this treatise remains as the foundation method for most modern cornetists and trumpeters. For more complete information concerning Arban please refer to Brass Bulletin 9, 10, 11, 12, in which Mr. Jean-Pierre Mathez has aptly conducted a comprehensive study.