Lachrymose

Lachrymose for Solo Piccolo
By Derek Charke

Lachrymose was written in less than 24 hours on December 30th, 2006. Although the material is somewhat minimal, several advanced techniques are employed that help “fill out” the sound of the solo piccolo. The most obvious is singing and playing. Added to this this soloist is asked near the end to break the sound and play on the harmonics. This creates a rich texture filled with overtones. The entire range of the piccolo is called for, however throughout most of the work the performer plays in the lower tessitura, creating a more earthy sound. Double trills and timbre trills create a warbling, bird-like effect in other parts of the work.