Thepiccolo (/ˈpɪkəloʊ/PIK-ə-loh;Italian for 'small')[1][2] is a smaller version of thewestern concert flute[a] and a member of thewoodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" orpiccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as thestandard transverse flute,[3] but the sound it produces is an octave higher. This has given rise to the nameottavino[b] (Italian pronunciation:[ottaˈviːno]), by which the instrument is called in Italian[4] and thus also in scores of Italian composers.
Early 19th-century French piccolo in D♭.
Piccolos are often orchestrated todouble the violins or the flutes, adding sparkle and brilliance to the overall sound because of the aforementioned one-octave transposition upwards. The piccolo is a standard member inorchestras,marching bands, andwind ensembles.
Since the Middle Ages, evidence indicates the use of octave transverse flutes as military instruments, as their penetrating sound was audible above battles. In cultured music, however, the first piccolos were used in some ofJean Philippe Rameau's works in the first half of the 18th century. Still, the instrument began to spread, and therefore to have a stable place in the orchestra, only at the beginning of 1800 A.D. During the Baroque period, the indication "flautino" or also "flauto piccolo" usually denoted arecorder of small size (soprano or sopranino). In particular, this is the case of the concertos thatAntonio Vivaldi wrote forflautino.[c]
Until the end of the 19th century, the piccolo maintained the same construction. Historically, the piccolo had the same keys of the baroque flute (one key) and then of the classical and romanticsimple system flute. At the end of the century, the piccolo began to be built with theBoehm mechanism, which would become the standard during the 1900s. However, it cannot wholly transition to the Boehm system since the bore has remained conical, as in the old system flute, and the first bottom note is D, like in the baroque flute. The piccolo should not be confused with thefife, which is traditionally one-piece, has a smaller, cylindrical bore, and produces a more strident sound.
Piccolos are now mainly manufactured in the key of C or D. In the early 20th century, piccolos were manufactured in D♭ as they were an earlier model of the modern piccolo.[6] For this D♭ piccolo,John Philip Sousa wrote the famous solo in the final repeat of the closing section (trio) of his march "The Stars and Stripes Forever".
A piccolo being played
Although once made of wood, glass, or ivory, piccolos today are made from plastic, resin, brass, nickel silver, silver, and a variety of hardwoods, most commonlygrenadilla. Finely made piccolos are often available with a variety of options similar to theflute, such as the split-E mechanism. Most piccolos have a conical body with a cylindrical head, like theBaroque flute and later flutes before the popularization of theBoehm bore used in modern flutes. Unlike other woodwind instruments, in most wooden piccolos, the tenon joint that connects the head to the body has twointerference fit points surrounding the cork and metal side of the piccolo body joint.[citation needed]
A concert piccolo with a grenadilla body and wave head joint and silver-plated keys
Additionally, there is now a selection of chamber music that uses the piccolo. One example is Stockhausen'sZungenspitzentanz, for piccolo and two euphoniums (or one synthesizer), with an optional percussionist and dancer. Another isGeorge Crumb'sMadrigals, Book II for soprano, flute (doubling piccolo/alto flute), and percussion. Other examples include a trio for piccolo, contrabassoon, and piano, 'Was mit den Tränen geschieht' byStephen Hough, theQuintet for Piccolo and String Quartet byGraham Waterhouse, andMalambo for piccolo, double bass, and piano byMiguel del Aguila. Currently published trios for three piccolos includeQuelque Chose canadienne (Something Canadian) by Nancy Nourse andBird Tango by Crt Sojar Voglar for three piccolos with piano.Petrushka's Ghost for eight piccolos by Melvin Lauf, Jr. andUna piccolo sinfonia for nine piccolos byMatthew King are two more examples.
^It is usually around 21⁄4 times smaller than a normalC flute.
^Italian substantified adjective (an ellipsis offlauto ottavino, "small flute at the [high] octave") that means "small at the [high] octave". In the pastottavino was not a specific word for the piccolo, as it was also used for other instruments like the smallspinet at the octave,spinetta ottavina or simplyottavino.
^Moreover, even the simple indicationflauto in the music of that period is to be understood as a (alto) recorder; the transverse flute was always explicitly requested with names such asflauto traverso orflauto traversiere. It is in fact only from the second quarter of the 18th century that the recorder begins a rapid decline which in the following decades will see the transverse flute become the only type of flute in cultured music.
^abNourse, Nancy (April 2008). "The Symphonic Debutante Piccolo: Was it Really Beethoven's Fifth?".Flute Focus (14):26–29.
^Hanlon, Keith D. (2017).The Piccolo in the 21st Century: History, Construction, and Modern Pedagogical Resources (Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance). West Virginia University.doi:10.33915/etd.5756.ProQuest1947737021.
^"About Grado".International Piccolo Festival. Retrieved22 November 2022.
Gippo, Jan (ed.).The Complete Piccolo: A Comprehensive Guide to Fingerings, Repertoire, and History, second edition, foreword by Laurie Sokoloff; contributing editors, Therese Wacker, Morgan Williams, and Tammy Sue Kirk. Bryn Mawr: Theodore Presser Company, 2008.ISBN978-1-59806-111-6
