Death Whistle

Death Whistle
Composed by Nicole Chamberlain
for Solo Piccolo
Published by Spotted Rocket

Death Whistle was commissioned by Dr. Elizabeth Robinson. The piccolo is notorious in the orchestra for its incredibly high pitches, and gets a bad rap for intonation issues. It takes a brave soul to consider playing the piccolo and a person of questionable character to love it. The first movement, Ear Knife, spotlights the piccolo’s ability to cut through with its razor sharp high notes. The second movement, Ballistophobia, is the fear of being shot. Every piccoloist knows the joke “How do you tune two piccolos You shoot one”. The final movement, #PiccolOhMyGod, which is the hashtag used on Twitter by the composer and commissioner when discussing the woes of piccolo playing and composing. Let’s hope everyone makes it out alive after this performance.

Extended Techniques used:
Ch, Ki, Shh, Sha, Ts and Za – In a “Beatboxing” style, use these syllables as articulation for the pitch indicated in the notation. This will not produce a full tone, but more of a breathy percussive effect.
Shh+Flz – Without airy almost toneless sound, flutter tongue
Wide vibrato pulse – Pulse the rhythm with a pitch bending wide vibrato
[Arrow symbol] – Bend pitch down or up (in the direction of the arrow) a quarter tone by playing flat or bending the pitch by rolling in headjoint.
Tongue Ram – Finger the pitch notated. Cover the embouchure hole completely with the lips. Forcefully seal tongue against the embouchure hole of the flute to create a  thud sound.