Piccolo
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
20th century
21st century
Solo repertoire
Piccolo
Alto flute
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Silva Pattápio
Adler, Samuel
Andersen, Joachim
Auric, Georges
Baksa, Andreas
Beaser, Robert
Benshoof, Ken
Boisson, Felix
Bonnisseau, Frédéric
Chamberlain, Nicole
Damase, Jean-Michel
Daugherty, Michael
Dehnhard, Tilmann
Donatoni, Franco
Dorff, Daniel
Harberg, Amanda
Huylebroeck, Jan
Jacob, Gordon
Janáček, Leoš
Koechlin, Charles
Krek, Uroš
Lavista, Mario
Liebermann, Lowell
Loeb, David
Mălăncioiu, Gabriel
Martinů, Bohuslav
Meltzer, Harold
Morlacchi, Pietro
Mower, Mike
Musgrave, Thea
Papandopulo, Boris
Persichetti, Vincent
Poulenc, Francis
Reichert, Matthieu Andre
Rotaru, Doina
Schocker, Gary
Silva, Pattápio
Smith, Matt
Vivaldi, Antonio
Wilder, Alec
Yun, Isang
Primeiro amor Op. 4 for piccolo and piano
Primeiro amor Op. 4 for piccolo and piano
Pattápio Silva: Primeiro amor Op. 4 for piccolo and piano was written around 1902 during Silva's brief but meteoric rise in Rio de Janeiro. The piece is dedicated to Senhorita Noemi de Oliveira.
Primeiro Amor, Op. 4 (First Love), is a celebrated Valsa de Concerto (Concert Waltz) that stands as one of the most famous works in the Brazilian flute and piccolo repertoire.
Along with his other works, Primeiro Amor helped define the "Flute Choro" style. It takes the European waltz form and infuses it with the distinctive Brazilian "ginga" (swing) and melancholic "saudade" (longing) that characterizes early 20th-century music in Rio.
While originally composed for flute and piano, it is a staple of the piccolo repertoire. Its frequent use of the high register and rapid arpeggiated figures makes it particularly brilliant on the piccolo.
Pattápio Silva famously recorded this work himself in 1902 for the Casa Edson label (Zon-O-Phone). This recording is one of the earliest examples of flute virtuosity captured on disc and serves as the primary historical reference for how the piece should be phrased.
Silva Pattápio
Pattápio Silva (1880–1907) was a legendary Afro-Brazilian flutist and composer who became one of the first true "stars" of the Brazilian recording industry. Though his career was tragically cut short, he remains a foundational figure in the development of the Choro genre and a national icon of the flute.
Born in Itaocara, Rio de Janeiro, he was the son of a shoemaker. He initially worked as a typesetter while teaching himself to play the flute on a simple wooden instrument.
His talent was so undeniable that he was admitted to the Instituto Nacional de Música (now the UFRJ School of Music) in 1901. He studied under the renowned professor Duque-Estrada Meyer and completed the entire flute course in an unprecedented six months, graduating with a Gold Medal.
Between 1902 and 1904, Silva was among the first artists to record for the Casa Edson and the Gramophone Company (Victor) in Brazil. The recordings of his own works, such as Evocação and Primeiro Amor, captured his extraordinary technique, characterized by a powerful tone (the "Pattápio Sound"), precise articulation, and a unique "singing" quality that bridged the gap between classical and popular styles.
Silva’s music is a sophisticated blend of late-19th-century European salon music (waltzes, polkas, and romances) and the emerging rhythmic syncopations of Brazilian Choro.
At the peak of his fame, Silva contracted a sudden illness (variously reported as diphtheria or a sudden infection) and died in Belo Horizonte in 1907 at the age of 26.