Drums
& Equipment - Timpani
Timpani are musical instruments in the percussion
family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched
over a large bowl commonly made of copper. They are played by striking
the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani
mallet. Unlike most drums, they produce a definite pitch when struck.
Timpani evolved from military drums to become a staple of the classical
orchestra in the 17th century. Today, they are used in many types of
musical ensembles including concert, marching, and even rock bands.
Timpani is an Italian plural, the singular of which is timpano. However,
this is rarely used in informal English speech as a timpano is typically
referred to as a drum, a timpani, or simply a timp. Alternative
spellings with y in place of either or both is – tympani, tympany, or
timpany – are occasionally encountered in older English texts. This
substitution is taken from the Latin word tympanum, from which the
Italian word descends. A musician who plays the timpani is known as a
timpanist. While the word timpani has been widely adopted in the English
language, some English speakers choose to use the native word
kettledrums. The German word for timpani is Pauken, and the French is
timbales.
* Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, second movement (excerpt) (file info) —
play in browser (beta)
o The scherzo from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony highlights timpani as an
independent voice.
* Also sprach Zarathustra (excerpt) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o Richard Strauss' symphonic poem Also sprach Zarathustra opens with a
fanfare, which depicts daybreak, featuring solo timpani interjections.
* Problems playing the files? See media help.
The instrument
The basic timpano
The basic timpano consists of a drumhead stretched across the opening of
a bowl typically made of copper or, in less expensive models, fiberglass
and sometimes aluminum. (By one system of classification, it is thus
considered a membranophone.) The drumhead is affixed to a hoop (also
called a fleshhoop), which in turn is held onto the bowl by a
counterhoop, which is then held by means of a number of tuning screws
called tension rods placed regularly around the circumference. The
head's tension can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the rods. Most
timpani have six to eight tension rods.
The shape of the bowl contributes to the tone quality of the drum. For
example, hemispheric bowls produce brighter tones while parabolic bowls
produce darker tones. Another factor that affects the timbre of the drum
is the quality of the bowl's surface. Copper bowls may have a smooth,
machined surface or a rough surface with many small dents hammered into
it.
Timpani come in a variety of sizes from about 84 centimeters (33 inches)
in diameter down to piccolo timpani of 30 centimeters (12 inches) or
less. A 33-inch drum can produce the C below the bass clef, and
speciality piccolo timpani can play up into the treble clef. In Darius
Milhaud's 1923 ballet score La création du monde, the timpanist must
play the F sharp at the bottom of the treble clef.
Each individual drum typically has a range of a perfect fifth to an
octave.
Machine timpani
Changing the pitch of a timpano by turning each tension rod individually
is a laborious process. In the late 19th century, mechanical systems to
change the tension of the entire head at once were developed. Any
timpani equipped with such a system may be called machine timpani,
although this term commonly refers to drums that use a single handle
connected to a spider-type tuning mechanism.
Pedal timpani
By far the most common type of timpani used today are pedal timpani,
which allow the tension of the head to be adjusted using a pedal
mechanism. Typically, the pedal is connected to the tension screws via a
spider-like system of metal rods.
There are three types of pedal mechanisms in common use today:
* The ratchet-clutch system uses a ratchet and pawl to hold the pedal in
place. The timpanist must first disengage the clutch before using the
pedal to tune the drum. When the desired pitch is achieved, the
timpanist must then reengage the clutch.
* In the balanced action system, a spring or hydraulic cylinder is used
to balance the tension on the timpani head so that the pedal will stay
in position and the head will stay at pitch. The pedal on a balanced
action drum is sometimes called a floating pedal since there is no
clutch holding it in place.
* The friction clutch or post and clutch system uses a clutch that moves
along a post. Disengaging the clutch frees it from the post, allowing
the pedal to move without restraint.
Any pedal drums that are tuned using the spider system can be called
Dresden timpani, though the term is most often used for drums whose
design is similar to the original pedal timpani built in Dresden (see
below). Strictly speaking, a Dresden drum has a pedal that is attached
at the player's side. The timpanist can move this pedal with ankle
motion. A Berlin-style pedal is attached by means of a long arm to the
opposite side of the drum, and the timpanist must use his entire leg to
adjust the pitch.
The drums most professional timpanists use are Dresden timpani, commonly
with a ratchet-clutch or friction clutch pedal. Most school bands and
orchestras below the university level use cheaper, more durable timpani.
The mechanical parts of these timpani are almost completely contained
within the frame and bowl of the drum. They may use any of the pedal
mechanisms, though the balanced action system is by far the most common,
followed by the friction clutch system. Many professionals also use
these drums for gigs and outdoor performances because of their
durability.
Chain timpani
On chain timpani, the tension rods are connected by a roller chain much
like the one found on a bicycle, though some manufacturers have used
other materials, including steel cable. In these systems, all the
tension screws can then be tightened or loosened by one handle. Though
far less common than pedal timpani, chain and cable drums still have
practical uses. Occasionally, a player is forced to place a drum behind
other items so that he cannot reach it with his foot. Professional
players may also use exceptionally large or small chain and cable drums
for special low or high notes.
Other tuning mechanisms
A rare tuning mechanism allows the pitch of the head to be changed by
rotating the drum itself. A similar system is used on rototoms. Jenco, a
company better known for mallet percussion, made timpani tuned in this
fashion.
In the early 20th century, Hans Schnellar, then timpanist of the Vienna
Philhamonic, developed a tuning mechanism in which the bowl is moved via
a handle that connects to the base, and the head remains stationary.
These drums are referred to as Viennese timpani (Wiener Pauken) or
Schnellar timpani. Adams Musical Instruments developed a pedal-operated
version of this tuning mechanism in the early 21st century.
Timpani heads
Like most drumheads, timpani heads can be found made from two materials:
animal skin (typically calfskin or goatskin) and plastic (typically PET
film). Plastic heads are durable, weather resistant, and relatively
inexpensive. Thus, they are more commonly used than natural skin heads.
However, many professional players prefer skin heads because they feel
the heads produce a warmer, better quality timbre.
Timpani sticks
Timpani are typically struck with a special type of drumstick fittingly
called a timpani stick or timpani mallet. Timpani sticks are used in
pairs. They have two components: a shaft and a head. The shaft is
typically made from wood – usually hickory, cherry, birch, persimmon, or
maple – or bamboo, but may also be made from aluminum or graphite. The
head of the stick can be constructed from a number of different
materials, though felt wrapped around a wood core is the most common.
Other core materials include felt and cork, and other wrap materials
include leather. Sticks can also have exposed wood heads. These are used
as a special effect and in authentic performances of Baroque music.
Although it is not commonly written in the music, timpanists will change
sticks – often many times within the same piece – to suit the nature of
the music. However, choice of stick during performance is entirely
subjective and depends on the timpanist's own preference, and
occasionally, the wishes of the conductor. Thus, most timpanists own a
great number of timpani sticks. The weight of the stick, the size of the
head, the materials used for the shaft, core, and wrap, and the method
used to wrap the head all contribute to the timbre the stick produces.
In the early 20th century and before, sticks were often made with
whalebone shafts, wood cores, and sponge wraps. Composers of that era
often specified sponge-headed sticks. Modern timpanists execute such
passages with standard felt mallets.
Timpani in the modern ensemble
A set of timpani
A standard set of timpani consists of four drums: roughly 80 cm (32 in),
75 cm (29 in), 66 cm (26 in), and 61 cm (23 in) in diameter. The range
of this set is roughly the D below the bass clef to the top-line bass
clef A. A great majority of the orchestral repertoire can be played
using these four drums. However, Leonard Bernstein requires the
timpanist to execute both a top-line bass clef A flat and the B flat
above it on the same drum in the Overture to Candide. Adding a 51 cm (20
in) 'piccolo timpano' to the standard set of four extends the range
upwards by a few semitones. This is the instrument which Stravinsky
specifies for the production of the B below middle C in The Rite of
Spring -- and from which Ravel even expects a high D in L'Enfant et les
Sortilčges. Walter Piston points out that "these small drums, even if
available, certainly lack the characteristic resonance and sonority of
timpani".
Beyond this extended set of five, any added drums are nonstandard. Many
professional orchestras and timpanists own multiple sets of timpani
consisting of both pedal and chain drums allowing them to execute music
that cannot be performed correctly using a standard set of four or five
drums.
Many schools and ensembles that cannot afford to purchase equipment
regularly only have a set of three timpani. This was the standard set
until the second half of the 20th century. It consists of 75 cm (29 in),
66 cm (26 in), and 61 cm (23 in) drums. Its range extends down only to
the F below bass clef.
The drums are set up in an arc or horseshoe around the performer.
Traditionally, North American timpanists set their drums up with the
lowest drum on the left and the highest on the right, and German and
Austrian players set them up the opposite way. Over time, that
distinction has blurred: German and European players have adopted the
North American layout and vice versa.
Timpanists
Throughout their education, timpanists are trained as percussionists,
and they learn to play all instruments of the percussion family along
with timpani. However, when a timpanist is appointed to a position in a
professional orchestra or concert band, he is not required to play any
other percussion instruments. In his book Anatomy of the Orchestra,
Norman Del Mar writes that the timpanist is "king of his own province",
and that "a good timpanist really does set the standard of the whole
orchestra."
Most pieces of music call for one timpanist playing one set of timpani.
However, occasionally composers seeking a thicker texture or a greater
palette of pitches ask for multiple players to perform on one or many
sets of timpani. Gustav Mahler writes for two timpanists in six of his
symphonies. Gustav Holst uses two timpanists to achieve the range of
notes needed to echo the main theme in "Jupiter" from The Planets suite.
Using two timpanists is relatively common in late Romantic and 20th
century works for large orchestras, although the early Romantic composer
Hector Berlioz took multiple timpanists to the extreme in his 1837
Requiem, which calls for eight pairs of timpani played by ten
timpanists.
* "Jupiter" from The Planets suite (excerpt) (file info) — play in
browser (beta)
o In the beginning of "Jupiter" from Holst's The Planets, the two
timpanists echo the main theme.
o Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Timpani concertos
Although such compositions are not common, a few concertos have been
written for timpani. The 18th century composer Johann Fischer wrote a
symphony for eight timpani and orchestra, which requires the solo
timpanist to play eight drums simultaneously. In 1983, William Kraft, a
well regarded American percussionist and composer, composed his Concerto
for Timpani and Orchestra, which won second prize in the Kennedy Center
Friedheim Awards. In the year 2000, American composer Philip Glass wrote
his Concerto Fantasy for two timpanists and orchestra, which has its two
soloists each playing seven timpani.
Performance techniques
Striking the drum
For general playing, a timpanist will beat the head approximately 4
inches in from the edge. Beating at this spot produces the round,
resonant sound commonly associated with timpani.
A timpani roll is executed simply by rapidly striking the drum,
alternating between left and right sticks. In general, timpanists do not
use multiple stroke rolls like those played on the snare drum.
The tone quality of the drum can be altered without switching sticks or
adjusting the tuning of the drum. For example, by playing closer to the
edge of the head, the sound becomes thinner. A more staccato sound can
be produced by beating the drum with the heads of the sticks as close
together as possible. When playing rolls, the sticks may be placed
farther apart to cause as much of the head as possible to vibrate. There
are many more variations in technique a timpanist uses during the course
of playing to produce subtle timbral differences.
Occasionally, composers will ask the timpanist to strike the drum at
specific spots. Béla Bartók writes a passage "to be played at the edge
of the head" in his Violin Concerto.
Tuning
Prior to playing the instruments, the timpanist must clear the heads by
equalizing the tension at each tuning screw. This is done so every spot
on the head is tuned to exactly the same pitch. When the head is clear,
the timpano will produce a beautiful, in-tune sound. If the head is not
clear, the pitch of the drum will rise or fall after the initial impact,
and the drum will produce different pitches at different dynamic levels.
In performance, tuning is typically accomplished with a method called
interval tuning. Timpanists who are not blessed with absolute pitch
obtain a reference pitch from a tuning fork, pitch pipe, or even a note
played by another instrument in the course of the performance, then use
musical intervals to arrive at the desired note. For example, to tune
the timpani to G and C, a timpanist may sound an A with a tuning fork,
then sing (or think) a minor third above that A to tune the C, and then
sing a perfect fourth below the C to tune the G. Timpanists are required
to have a very well developed sense of relative pitch.
Some timpani are equipped with tuning gauges, which provide a visual
indication of the drum's pitch. They are physically connected either to
the counterhoop, in which case the gauge indicates how far the
counterhoop is pushed down, or the pedal, in which case the gauge
indicates the position of the pedal. These gauges can be useful.
However, every time the drum is moved, the overall pitch of the head
changes, thus the pitches must be re-marked on the gauges before every
performance. Gauges are especially useful when performing music that
involves fast tuning changes that do not allow the player to listen to
the new pitch before playing it. Many good timpanists prefer to tune by
ear and will rely on gauges only if absolutely necessary.
Timpanists are commonly required to tune in the middle of a piece of
music; thus, all timpanists must develop techniques to tune undetectably
and accurately in the midst of other music.
Occasionally, players use the pedals to retune a drum while playing it.
Portamento effects can be achieved by changing the pitch of the drum
while it can still be heard. This is commonly called a glissando, though
this use of the term is not strictly correct. The most effective
glissandos are those from low notes to high notes and those performed
during rolls. One of the first composers to call for a timpani glissando
was Carl Nielsen, who used two sets of timpani, both playing glissandi
at the same time, in his Symphony No. 4 ("The Inextinguishable").
* Sonata for two pianos and percussion, first movement (excerpt) (file
info) — play in browser (beta)
o This segment of Bartók's Sonata for two pianos and percussion features
pedal glissandos during a timpani roll.
o Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Pedaling refers to changing the pitch of the drum with the pedal; it is
an alternate term for tuning. In general, timpanists reserve this term
for passages where the performer must change the pitch of a drum in the
midst of playing – for example, playing two consecutive notes of
different pitches on the same drum. In Samuel Barber's Medea's
Meditation and Dance of Vengeance, the timpanist must play A♯–B–C♯–D in
consecutive sixteenth notes. There is no way to place this passage
across a common set of four drums, thus the timpanist must use the pedal
to change the notes while playing. Nocturne, by Benjamin Britten,
contains a longer chromatic passage using the same technique.
This chromatic passage from the Intermezzo interrotto movement of
Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra requires the timpanist to use the pedals
to play all the pitches. One way of executing this passage is annotated
here: The lowest and highest drum stay on F and E-flat, respectively.
All pedaling is executed on the middle two drums. Each pedal change is
indicated by a colored line: red for the larger and blue for the smaller
of the middle drums.
This chromatic passage from the Intermezzo interrotto movement of
Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra requires the timpanist to use the pedals
to play all the pitches. One way of executing this passage is annotated
here: The lowest and highest drum stay on F and E-flat, respectively.
All pedaling is executed on the middle two drums. Each pedal change is
indicated by a colored line: red for the larger and blue for the smaller
of the middle drums.
* Concerto for Orchestra (excerpt) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
o In this passage from the Intermezzo interrotto movement of Bartók's
Concerto for Orchestra, the timpanist plays a chromatic bass line, which
requires using the pedal to change pitches.
o Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Muffling
Muffling or damping is an implicit part of playing timpani. Often,
timpanists will muffle notes so they only sound for the length indicated
by the composer. However, early drums did not resonate nearly as long as
modern timpani, so composers often just wrote a note when the timpanist
was to hit the drum without worrying about the sustain. Today,
timpanists must use their ear and the score of the piece to determine
the actual length the note should sound.
The typical method of muffling is to place the pads of the fingers
against the head while holding onto the timpani stick with the thumb and
index finger. Timpanists are required to develop techniques to stop all
vibration of the drumhead without making any sound from the contact of
their fingers.
Muffling is often referred to as muting, which can also refer to playing
the drums with mutes on them (see below).
Extended techniques
* It is typical for only one timpano to be struck at a time.
Occasionally, composers will ask for two notes to be struck at once.
This is called a double stop. Ludwig van Beethoven uses this effect in
the slow movement of his Ninth Symphony.
* Although timpanists only have two hands, it is possible to play more
than two timpani at once. One way to do this is by holding two sticks in
one hand much like a marimbist. Another is by adding the hands of more
timpanists. Hector Berlioz achieves fully voiced chords on timpani in
his Requiem ("Grande messe des morts") by employing eight timpanists,
each playing a pair of timpani.
* When the timpani are struck directly in the center of the head, the
drums have a sound that is almost completely devoid of tone and
resonance. George Gershwin uses this effect in An American in Paris.
* Often, when one drum is struck, another will vibrate quietly. In
orchestral playing, timpanists must actively avoid this effect, but
composers have exploited this effect in solo pieces, such as Elliot
Carter's Eight Pieces for Four Timpani.
* Sometimes composers will specify that timpani be played con sordino
(with mute) or coperti (covered), both of which indicate that mutes
should be placed on the head. Timpani mutes are typically small pieces
of felt or leather. The degree the head is dampened can be altered by
placing the mute at different spots on the head. Barber specifies that
the timpani be played con sordino in a section of Medea's Meditation and
Dance of Vengeance. Mutes are often used to dampen the sympathetic
vibrations generated by external factors such as the sound produced by
other instruments.
* Composers will sometimes specify that the timpani should be struck
with implements other than timpani sticks. It is common in timpani
etudes and solos for performers to play with their hands or fingers.
Leonard Bernstein calls for maracas on timpani in both the "Jeremiah"
Symphony and Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Edward Elgar
attempts to use the timpani to imitate the engine of an ocean liner in
his "Enigma" Variations by requesting the timpanist play with snare drum
sticks. However, snare drum sticks tend to produce too loud a sound, and
since this work's premiere, the passage in question has been performed
by striking the timpani with the edges of coins.
* Robert W. Smith's Songs of Sailor and Sea calls for a "whale sound" on
the largest timpano. This is achieved by moistening the thumb and
rubbing it from the edge to the center of the drumhead.
* Another technique used primarily in solo work is striking the copper
bowls of the timpani. This technique is used in the first movement of
John Beck's Sonata for Timpani. Timpanists tend to be reluctant to use
this effect at loud dynamic levels or with hard sticks, since copper can
be dented easily.
* Occasionally a composer will ask for an upside-down cymbal to be
placed upon the drumhead and then struck, usually rolled while executing
a glissando on the drum. Joseph Schwantner used this technique in From A
Dark Millennium for wind band.
History
Pre-orchestral history
Arabic nakers, the direct ancestors of timpani, were brought to 13th
century Europe by Crusaders and Saracens. These drums, which were small
(with a diameter of about 20–22 cm or 8–8˝ in) and mounted to the
player's belt, were used primarily for military ceremonies. This form of
timpani remained in use until the 16th century.
In 1457, a Hungarian legation sent by King Ladislaus V carried larger
timpani mounted on horseback to the court of King Charles VII in France.
This variety of timpani had been used in the Middle East since the 12th
century. These drums evolved together with trumpets to be the primary
instruments of the cavalry. This practice continues to this day in
sections of the British Army, and timpani continued to be paired with
trumpets when they entered the classical orchestra.
Over the next two centuries, a number of technical improvements were
made to timpani. Originally, the head was nailed directly to the shell
of the drum. In the 15th century, heads began to be attached and
tensioned by a counterhoop that was tied directly to the shell. In the
early 16th century, the bindings were replaced by screws. This allowed
timpani to become tunable instruments of definite pitch.
Timpani in the orchestra
Jean-Baptiste Lully is the first known composer to score for timpani,
which he included in the orchestra for his 1675 opera Thésée. Other 17th
century composers soon followed suit. In music of this time, timpani are
almost always tuned with the tonic note of the piece on the high drum
and the dominant on the low drum – a perfect fourth apart.
Interestingly, timpani are often treated as transposing instruments in
the music of this period: the notes were written as C and G with the
actual pitches indicated at the top of the score (for example, Timpani
in A–D).
Later in the Baroque era, Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a secular cantata
titled "Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten!", which translates
roughly to "Sound off, ye timpani! Sound, trumpets!" Naturally, the
timpani are placed at the forefront: the piece starts with a timpani
solo and the chorus and timpani trade the melody back and forth. Bach
used this material later in Christmas Oratorio (Jauchzet, frohlocket!).
Ludwig van Beethoven revolutionized timpani music in the early 19th
century. He not only wrote for drums tuned to intervals other than a
fourth or fifth, but he gave a prominence to the instrument as an
independent voice beyond programmatic use as in "Tönet, ihr Pauken!".
For example, his Violin Concerto (1806) opens with five timpani strokes,
and the scherzo of his Ninth Symphony (1824) pitches the timpani against
the orchestra in a sort of call and response.
The next major innovator was Hector Berlioz. He was the first composer
to indicate the exact sticks that should be used – felt-covered, wooden,
etc. In several of his works, including Symphonie fantastique (1830), he
demanded the use of several timpanists at once.
Until the late 19th century, timpani were hand-tuned; that is, there was
a sequence of screws with T-shaped handles, called taps, which altered
the tension in the head when turned by players. Thus, tuning was a
relatively slow operation, and composers had to allow a reasonable
amount of time for players to change notes if they wanted to be sure of
a true note. The first pedal timpani originated in Dresden in the 1870s
and are called Dresden timpani for this reason. However, since vellum
was used for the heads of the drums, automated solutions were difficult
to implement since the tension would vary unpredictably across the drum.
This could be compensated for by hand-tuning, but not easily by a pedal
drum. Mechanisms continued to improve in the early 20th century.
Despite these problems, composers eagerly exploited the opportunities
the new mechanism had to offer. By 1915, Carl Nielsen was demanding
glissandos on timpani in his Fourth Symphony – impossible on the old
hand-tuned drums. However, it took Béla Bartók to more fully realize the
flexibility the new mechanism had to offer. Many of his timpani parts
require such a range of notes that it would be unthinkable to attempt
them without pedal drums.
Timpani outside the orchestra
Later, timpani were adopted into other classical music ensembles such as
concert bands. In the 1970s, marching bands and drum and bugle corps,
which evolved both from traditional marching bands and concert bands,
began to include marching timpani. Each player carried a single drum,
which was tuned by a hand crank. Marching timpani were heavy and awkward
to play, as the drumhead was almost at the player's chest. Often, during
intricate passages, the timpani players would put their drums on the
ground by means of extendable legs, and they would be played more like
conventional timpani, but with a single player per drum. In the early
1980s, Drum Corps International (DCI), a drum corps governing body,
allowed timpani and other percussion instruments to be permanently
grounded. This was the beginning of the end for marching timpani:
Eventually, standard concert timpani found their way onto the football
field as part of the front ensemble, and marching timpani fell out of
common usage.
As rock and roll bands started seeking to diversify their sound, timpani
found their way into the studio. Starting in the 1960s, drummers for
high profile rock acts like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys,
and Queen incorporated timpani into their music. Butch Trucks of The
Allman Brothers Band usually uses a timpani set during live concerts;
the timpani are especially featured in the opening of the song "Mountain
Jam." In the progressive rock genre, drummer Carl Palmer famously
employed two timpani for a drum roll at the opening of Emerson, Lake &
Palmer's rendition of Fanfare for the Common Man. Timpani also figure
prominently in the same group's adaptation of the fourth movement of
Ginastera's first piano concerto.
Jazz musicians also experimented with timpani. Sun Ra used it
occasionally in his Arkestra (played, for example, by percussionist Jim
Herndon on the songs "Reflection in Blue" and "El Viktor," both recorded
in 1957). In 1964, Elvin Jones incorporated timpani into his drum kit on
John Coltrane's four-part composition A Love Supreme.
Jonathan Haas is one of the few timpanists who markets himself as a
soloist. Haas, who began his career as a solo timpanist in 1980, is
notable for performing music from many genres including jazz, rock, and
classical. In fact, he released an album with a rather unconventional
jazz band called Johnny H. and the Prisoners of Swing.
In RIO/Avant-prog music, Moe! Staiano plays timpani for the band
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. The timpani sounds support very well the
eerie and loud atmosphere of their avant-gardist music.
From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timpani
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