Piccolo

The name piccolo is abbreviated from the Italian name flauto piccolo, which means little flute. With a range of two and a half octaves and a length about half the size of the flute. The piccolo, together with the triangle and the Chinese Liuqin, can cut through the heaviest sound an ochestra can make.

The piccolo did not appear in the orchestra until the late 18th century. Its mechanism developed alongside that of the flute, though Boehm's keywork system of the flute was not adapted for the piccolo until much later.

Midi: Vivaldi's Concerto for Piccolo in C

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