In its quintessential form, the Cornet is a wide-scaled compound stop without breaks, containing a third-sounding rank, often of short (treble) compass. Like so many other organ stops, it has its origins in attempts to imitate another instrument, in this case the Renaissance instrument known as cornet or zink, which was blown in the manner of a brass instrument, but made of wood, and furnished with finger-holes. Early organ-builders used both reed stops and compound flue stops in their attempts to imitate the instrument. The classical stop is not related to the modern orchestral instrument called cornet (see Orchestral Cornet), although the Cornet of the theatre organ is a 4' Tuba or Trumpet. Here we will deal only with the compound flue stop. For reed forms, see Zink. There are alternate meanings for the word Corneta. The name Cornett, as a synonym for Cornet, appears only in passing in Audsley's entry for Echoflöte. It is otherwise described as a synonym for Zink.
Osiris contains about 600 examples of Cornet as a mixture, over a third of which have V ranks; about 120 examples of Cornett as a mixture, over a third of which have V ranks; and about 90 examples of Corneta as a mixture.