Unfortunately, very little biographical information about the hornist A. Corret has survived. Corret was principal horn at the Grand Théâtre in Rouen from 1815 to 1862. He presumably studied the horn in Paris before this time. Louis-François Dauprat dedicated his 5th — and probably most virtuosic — horn concerto (ROM 155) to him. Unfortunately, a fire in the archives of the Rouen theatre in 1876 destroyed valuable evidence, probably including biographical material on A. Corret.
Corret's own compositions are written exclusively for the valveless natural horn.
Fantaisie for Horn and Piano, Op. 6 (ca. 1815)
The only surviving work by M. A. Corret is his Fantaisie pour le Cor avec Accompagnement de Piano, Op. 6, for horn and piano.
The work is dedicated to Mr. E. Bazil, described as « son élève » — his pupil. Interestingly, the first edition, published by Corret's own publishing house, notes the place of performance: „Composée pour les Soirées d'Hiver“
— composed for the winter concerts. These were perhaps regular small chamber-music evenings in Rouen.
