Piccolo in Great Scores
It is clearly a diabolical instrument—often in more senses than one!
Weber, Wagner, and Sullivan have used the piccolo in scenes of magic and the supernatural with striking effect. Wagner several times portrays the rustling of leaves and of trees by means of it.
Owing to its bright, gay character, the piccolo is also much used in joyous pastoral scenes, village fêtes, and dances. Verdi uses it to produce comic effects in his Falstaff. It is very rarely used in sacred music:
Bizet, Carman, i. 3, March.
![\new Staff = "piccolos" \with {
instrumentName = \markup \center-column {
"2 PICCOLOS ONLY.:"
"at first alone then"
"with Strings pizz."
}
midiInstrument = "piccolo"
} <<
\new Voice = "first" \relative c'' {
\transposition c' \voiceOne
\key f \major
\time 2/4
\tempo "Allegro"
\tweak text "bis. ten."
\startMeasureSpanner
\autoBeamOff
\acciaccatura cis'8\ppp d[ a a d]
\autoBeamOn
cis b b4\f
\stopMeasureSpanner
c!( d8) c
d c16 d e8 e,
cis'4\trill \acciaccatura {b16 cis} d8\staccato d\staccato
a a d, r
}
\new Voice = "second" \relative c'' {
\transposition c' \voiceTwo
\key f \major
\time 2/4
\tempo "Allegro"
\tweak text "bis. ten."
\startMeasureSpanner
\autoBeamOff
\acciaccatura cis8 d[ f f d]
\autoBeamOn
e g f4
\stopMeasureSpanner
bes!8( a16 g a8) c
\autoBeamOff
bes[ a gis e]
\autoBeamOn
g!4( f8) d
a a d r \bar "|."
}
>>
\layout {
indent = 4\cm
\context {
\Staff
\consists Measure_spanner_engraver
}
}](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/8/m/8mbr6piy6oufelmfrxalsow6j4nja3o/8mbr6piy.png)
Cherubini introduces it into his Coronation Mass in A, Berlioz uses it in his L'Enfance du Christ and Te Deum, and Brahm in his Requiem as does also Dvôràk. In Massenet's Scenes Pittoresques the lower notes are used effectively in the slow, quiet "Angelus."
In the orchestra the piccolo is often very useful to continue an ascending passage above the compass of the flute, and to brighten the tone. Its sharp, accentuated rhythm is very useful in martial scenes, as in Bizet's Carmen. Auber uses the instrument with great skill.
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