According to William Dongois, the cornettist and leader of Le Concert Brisé, the golden age of cornet music was between 1580 to 1630 in Italy and 1600 to 1700 in German-speaking lands. This excellent three-disc set sets out to prove it. The first two discs offer Italian music: diminutions, dances, sonatas and works from Venice during the time of Monteverdi. The third disc is something of an oddity —Buxtehude instrumental works arranged for cornett, sackbut and organ.

Dongois’s smooth, even tone is well suited to the beautiful long lines of the Francesco Rognoni diminution of Palestrina’s Io son ferito and Giovanni Battista Bovicelli’s take on Victoria’s Vadam et circuibo. Dongois and company also stand out in the popular tunes, such as the famous La Monica. Soprano Julie Hassler does fine work in the Venetian music, and the entire ensemble shines in a sonata by Giuseppe Scarini.

While the Buxtehude arrangements might look odd on paper, they come off really well in performance. There’s delightful interplay of instrumental voices throughout, with organist Pierre-Alain Clerc and sacqueboutier Stefan Legée doing stand-out work. Clerc also takes a fine solo turn in the magnificent G-minor Praeludium. Dongois’ liner notes are thought provoking and, for once, the K617 producers have not shown their usual contempt for non-French speakers by providing solid English translations. CRAIG ZEICHNER