Story of the Flute
when repeated at the words "Revenge, thy triumph is nigh." But Weber does not always employ the piccolo in this manner. We find two piccolos used in the Bridal March in Euryanthe, in Oberon, and in Preciosa (ii.), where they have a remarkable passage. In the
Weber, Preciosa, Opening Chorus, 2nd Act.
last-named opera (sc. viii.) we have the piccolo combined with the clarinet, with an accompaniment of bassoon, horns, drums, triangle, and tambourine—no strings. Another curious combination occurs in the Cantata on Waterloo, where the Grenadier's March is written for two piccolos and side drums only, along with the voices.
Meyerbeer was very fond of the piccolo, especially in scenes of devilry, and introduces it largely into all hisMayerbeerand the
Piccolo operas. Thus in Robert le Diable it is largely used in the Baccanale and the Valse Infernale (i.) and in the frantic dance of the condemned nuns (iii.). In the Couplets Bachiques in Le Prophete (v.) a telling effect is produced by a few piccolo notes, along with harps and flutes, and in the Benediction of the Daggers in Les Huguenots it creates an almost savage effect, where at the word "strike" it represents the clinking of iron. In Robert le Diable it
148