What are facts about the instrument called the piccolo?

Answer 1

The piccolo (from Italian Small ) is a small flute Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike other woodwind instruments, a flute is a reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge....
. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger component, the flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written. The piccolo is the highest instrument in the orchestra or band. Now only manufactured in C, piccolos were once made in D, as well. It was for that instrument that John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an United States composer and Conducting of the late Romanticism known particularly for American march music. Because of his mastery of march composition and resultant prominence, he is known as "The March King"....
wrote his famous march, "Stars and Stripes Forever."

In the orchestral setting, the piccolo player is often designated as Piccolo/Flute III or even Assistant Principal. The larger orchestras have designated this position as a Solo position due to the demands of the literature.

A few composers have composed concerto Concerto
The term Concerto usually refers to a three-part musical work in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra. The concerto, as understood in this modern way, arose in the Baroque period side by side with the concerto grosso, which contrasted a small group of instruments with the rest of the orchestra....
s for piccolo, including Lowell Liebermann Lowell Liebermann
'Lowell Liebermann' is an American composer, pianist and Conducting.At the age of sixteen, Liebermann performed at the Carnegie Hall, playing his Piano Sonata, op....
, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Order of the British Empire , is an English composer and Conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music....
and Daniel Pinkham Daniel Pinkham
Daniel Rogers Pinkham, Jr. was an American composer, organist, and harpsichordist. Pinkham was one of America's most active composers during his lifetime.

Traditional useHistorically the piccolo had no keys, but does today, and should not be confused with the fife, or classical piccolo Fife (musical instrument)
A fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in Military band and Marching Bands....
, which has a smaller bore and is therefore more strident. The piccolo is used in conjunction with marching drums in traditional formations at the Carnival of Basel Carnival of Basel
The Carnival of Basel is the biggest carnival in Switzerland and takes place annually between February and March in Basel. It has recently been listed as one of the top fifty local festivities in Europe....
, Switzerland Switzerland
Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
.

The piccolo was originally made out of wood and was featured in many prominent composers' works. One of the earliest pieces to use the piccolo was Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, only playing during the final (IV) movement. Today, the piccolo can be found made from a range of materials, from plastic (or resin), to silver, to wood. Finely made piccolos often come with a similar variety of options as the flute Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike other woodwind instruments, a flute is a reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge....
, such as the split-E mechanism.

Bibliography

• The Complete Piccolo, compiled and edited by Jan Gippo, Theodore Presser Company, 2007/08. ISBN 1-59806-111-9

javascript:WikipediaFooter('Piccolo') there are many interesting things about the piccolo, but unfortunately this is a horrible site. It is called answers.com but all of the questions I ask aren't answered on this site

Answer 2

it has the highest range in the woodwind family it has the highest range in the woodwind family