by Sam Cronk

Used in brass bands, military bands, and jazz ensembles, the cornet looks a lot like the trumpet. Both are valved brass instruments pitched in Bb. There are, however, a few important features which make the cornet unique, such as its deeper, narrower mouthpiece. This mouthpiece makes the instrument more flexible by allowing a player to control its tone more effectively. The cornet is also slightly smaller than the trumpet, though sometimes players will attach a long shank to the mouthpiece to create an extra long wind pipe.
Invented in Paris in the 1820s by Jean-Louis Antoine (known as Halari), the cornet was quickly adopted up by horn, bugle, and trumpet players in European symphonies. Because it had valves, it was more suitable for chromatic music than the natural trumpet then in use, and therefore was preferred by some conductors and composers. Cornets are rarely used in contemporary orchestral music, and their parts may be substituted by the trumpet. However, they have always been and remain an important part of the brass and military band tradition. Military bands especially in Great Britain are known for their use of this instrument, and for perfecting the cornet's technique.
Sources suggest that the earliest jazz musicians learned to play cornets, among other instruments, from American Civil War brass bands. Whether or not that is true, the cornet did play a large role in the development of early jazz music in the United States. While the trumpet remained more "classical", the cornet's flexibility lent itself easily to jazz because it allowed a performer the ability to create a very distinctive sound. Renowned jazz musician Louis Armstrong played the cornet until 1925; Jimmy McPartland and the legendary Bix Beiderbecke both played gold-plated cornets.