ross the mouthpiece, and
thus the ordinary limits of the compass of a _Zinck_ or cornet could be
extended to a fifteenth. Whether straight or curved it was pierced
laterally with seven holes, six through the front, and the seventh, that
nearest the mouthpiece, through the back. The first three holes were
usually covered with the third, second and first fingers of the right
hand, the next four with the third, second and first fingers and the
thumb of the left hand. But some instrumentalists inverted the position
of the hands. Virdung[3] shows, besides the _cornetto recto_, a kind of
_Zinck_ made of an animal's horn with only four holes, three in the
front of the pipe and one at the back. Such an instrument as this had
naturally a very limited compass, since these four holes only sufficed
to produce the intermediate notes between the second and third proper
tones of the harmonic scale, the lower octave comprised between the
first and second remaining incomplete; by overblowing, however, the next
octave would be obtained in addition.

At the beginning of the 17th century Praetorius[4] represents the
_Zincken_ as a complete family comprising: (1) the little _Zinck_ with
the lowest note [Illustration: musical scale--E above middle C], (2)
the ordinary _Zinck_ with the lowest note [Illustration: musical
scale--A below middle C], (3) the great _Zinck_, _cornon_ or _corno
torto_, a great cornet in the shape of an [Illustration: reverse S]
with the lowest note [Illustration: musical scale--D above low C "or"
low C]. In France[5] the family was composed of the following
instruments:

(1) The _dessus_ or treble cornet with the lowest note [Illustration:
musical scale--A below middle C];

(2) the _haute-contre_ or alto cornet with the lowest note
[Illustration: musical scale--F below middle C];

(3) the _taille_ or tenor cornet with the lowest note [Illustration:
musical scale--D above low C] and the _basse_ or bass or _pedalle_[6]
cornet with the lowest note [Illustration: musical scale--G below low
C].

The cornets of the lowest pitch were sometimes furnished with an open
key which, when closed, lengthened the tube, and extended the compass
downwards by a note. Mersenne figures a _cornon_ with a key.

During the middle ages these instruments were in such favour that an
important part was given to them in all instrumental combinations. At
Dresden,[7] between 1647 and 1651, the K