It may appear somewhat strange to undertake the defense of the cornet at a time when this instrument has given proofs of its excellence, both in the orchestra and in solo performance. where it is no less indispensable to the composer, and no less liked by the public than the flute, the clarinet, and even the violin: where, in short, it has definitely won for itself the elevated position to which the beauty of its tone, the perfection of its mechanism and the immensity of its resources, so justly entitle it.
But this was not always the case: the cornet was far less successful when it first appeared: and, indeed, not many years ago. the masses treated the instrument with supreme indifference. while that time-honored antagonist—routine— contested its qualities, and strove hard to prohibit their application. This phenomenon, however, is of never-failing recurrence at the birth of every new invention, however excellent it may be. and of this fact the appearance of the saxhorn and the saxophone, instruments of still more recent date than the cornet, gave a new and striking proof.