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What do you do when you have an opportunity to perform professionally on piccolo and find out that there just isn't much literature out there for the instrument? If you're Jan Gippo, you commission some works! Jan, the piccoloist for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, started out on flute, like just about everyone else. He also, of course, learned piccolo, but discovered that there really wasn't any pedagogy or methods for piccolo, per se, but only modified versions of flute techniques. When Gippo decided he wanted to play professionally, the competition for flute was so keen, he decided to aim for auditioning on piccolo.
When Gippo decided to expand his professional performance opportunities, he discovered that there really wasn't much in the way of good piccolo literature except for the Vivaldi concerti. In January of 1987, he commissioned music for piccolo from the National Flute Association. He ended up commissioning about 20 works. One of these commissioned works, Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra byLowell Libermann, will be performed with the symphony on November 6, 7, and 8 at Powell Symphony Hall. Because of his efforts, people are beginning to look at the piccolo as an instrument of choice rather than an extension of flute-playing abilities. According to Jan, flautists can become successful piccoloists, but not with the same expertise. He likes the piccolo because of its expressiveness and tone colors. Shrillness only comes from improper playing. The instruments and the approaches to breathing and fingering are different if the piccolo is to be played correctly. The closest breath support analogy is comparing the support for piccolo to the support necessary to play oboe, with more resistance than is needed for flute. Go To Page: 1 2
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