Cornet à Pistons

Soon after the invention of valves for brass instruments had spread from its birthplace in Berlin to Paris in the 1820s, Parisian makers began experimenting with the application of valves to the 'cornet ordinaire'--a small post or military horn.  This led to the creation of the 'cornet à pistons' (1830).  Charles Sax embraced the new technology and, in the 1840s, slightly modified the design of the French three-valve cornet à pistons.  The most important improvement was his folding of the third valve, rather than maintaining a straight third-valve loop.  This construction enabled the third valve slide to be pulled out by the player without hitting the bell--a frequent problem with the French cornets à pistons.