At 5:18 PM +0100 9/16/11, Steve Parker wrote: > >Gotta disagree about the piccolo... there are >not many instruments I can never imagine writing >for (unless paid of course) >but piccolo and bagpipes share the lead! ;-)
Interesting statement, Steve. I can't imagine not having piccolo available for concert band music, and it's been an orchestral instrument for about 250 years (although Beethoven didn't use it in a symphony until his 5th). The earlier piccolo concertos--including the several by Vivaldi--were actually for sopranino recorder rather than small transverse flute. Of course like any strong spice, it needs to be used sparingly and in exactly the right places, but in those places it's the only thing that can do the job. If you happen to remember Billy May's "Sorta Dixie" album, whoever played the piccolo double on it was a superb player, and the jazz piccolo solo(s) was played really elegantly. Don't judge the instrument by high school marching bands. Our Community Band has two excellent piccolists, one a retired professional and the other an excellent semi-professional, and they both play in tune and with beautiful tone. Bagpipes? Well, there's a place for them and their music, preferably not too close by! John -- John R. Howell, Assoc. Prof. of Music Virginia Tech Department of Music School of Performing Arts & Cinema College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences 290 College Ave., Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0240 Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 (mailto:john.how...@vt.edu) http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html "Machen Sie es, wie Sie wollen, machen Sie es nur schön." (Do it as you like, just make it beautiful!) --Johannes Brahms _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
