Sean William Calhoun | Composer and pianist

Piccolo Passacaglia, composed for flutist Elizabeth Milligan, is titled both for the instrument on which it is played and for the fact that it is a small (the literal translation of “piccolo”) passacaglia — with the repeating line only six notes, and a total length of around four minutes. Since the piccolo is a (generally) monophonic instrument, rather than building harmonically on the line, it elaborates around it melodically, although sometimes with multiple implied voices. particularly arising from what begins as a grace-note figure, then develops over the course of the piece.