@Guy said:
The cornet sounds wonderful in the high register, it also sounds less forceful than a trumpet and I'm wondering if it's any easier to play in that register than the trumpet? Certainly sounds like it, but I'm wondering if anybody would know that?
If anything the cornet is more difficult to play in the very upper register although all good players should be able to play in the VSL range reasonably well.
Trumpet players are probably expected to play higher.
In the UK, and many european and antipodean countries the cornet is primarily used in Brass bands of whichthe line up is
1 soprano cornet in Eb
9 cornets in Bb
1 flugel horn in Bb
3 tenor horns in Eb (basically a baby tuba octave higher)
2 baritone horns in Bb (same as euphonium but narrower bore)
3 tenor trombones in Bb
1 Bass Trombone
2 Euphoniums in Bb
2 EEb basses (tubas)
2 BBb Basses (contrabass tubas)
The cornet rarely features in the orchestra. I can think of several Berlioz scores which require 2 trumpets and 2 cornets.
It does have a less strident sweeter sound than the trumpet and in the rght hands is very beautiful.
Check the World of Brass website and listen to some sound samples.
http://www.worldofbrass.eu/index-2.php