Picco pipe Mus.
(ˈpɪkəʊ)
Also with lower-case initial.
[f. the name of Picco or Picchi, ‘the Sardinian minstrel’, who performed on this instrument with great virtuosity and was heard in London in 1856.]
(See quot. 1876.)
| 1876 Stainer & Barrett Dict. Mus. Terms 354/1 Picco pipe, a small pipe having two ventages above and one below. It is blown by means of a mouthpiece like a flûte à bec or whistle; and in playing, the little finger is used for varying the pitch by being inserted in the end. 1920 U. Daubeny Orchestral Wind Instruments iii. 27 An instrument..was revived about the middle of last century by a blind Italian peasant named Picco, who gave remarkable performances on the ‘Picco pipe’. 1939 A. Carse Mus. Wind Instruments x. 119 Probably the smallest of all whistle-flutes is the Picco pipe, a tiny shrill whistle about 3½ inches long. 1960 L. G. Langwill Index Wind-Instrument Makers 90 A young blind Sardinian shepherd, Angelo Picchi appeared in..London (1856), playing on a small pipe (Zuffolo) which was named after him, Picco Pipe. 1977 Early Music Oct. 555/2 Amongst woodwind were items such as a picco pipe ({pstlg}165),..and a two-keyed oboe. |