Percussion

Kettle-drums, indispensable to every theatre and concert orchestra occupy the most important place in the group of percussion instruments. A pair of kettle-drums (Timpani), in the tonic and dominant keys, was the necessary attribute of an orchestra up to, and…

…imitate a popular instrument, the guzli, (as in Glinka), or a soft peal of bells. When the piano forms part of an orchestra, not as a solo instrument, an upright is preferable to a grand, but today the piano is gradually being superseded by the celesta, first…

Instruments in this group, such as triangle, castanets, little bells, tambourine, switch or rod (Rute. Ger.), side or military drum, cymbals, bass drum, and Chinese gong do not take any harmonic or melodic part in the orchestra, and can only be considered as…

Whenever some portion of the orchestra executes a rhythmic figure, percussion instruments should always be employed concurrently. An insignificant and playful rhythm is suitable to the triangle, tambourine, castanets and side drum, a vigourous and…

…and wood-wind are the two groups which combine the most satisfactorily with percussion from the standpoint of colour. The triangle, side drum, and tambourine go best with harmony in the upper register; cymbals, bass drum and gong with harmony in the lower. The…

…of instruments is the strings, then follow in order the wood-wind, brass, kettle-drums, harps, pizzicato effects, and lastly the percussion, also, in point of order, triangle, cymbals, big drum, side drum, tambourine, gong. Further removed stand the celesta,…

Out of doors one such Drum is used in the "Drums and Fifes" of all British infantry regiments, but here its tone cannot as a rule make much effect, particularly when pitted against a full corps of Side-drummers. This is a matter of "balance' however, and not…

…has been tried with success in the Theatre. It consists of tuning one of the Kettle-Drums to a drone-bass, placing the Tambourine on the Drum and playing on the Tambourine-head with the Kettle-Drum sticks. The resulting tone has something of the quality of a…

…is sure to arise in practice as to how far it is possible to write the Drums on notes that are foreign to the harmony in which they are taking part. Here again no definite answer is possible. It depends on the taste of the writer. Occasionally a Drum can…

As we have now dealt with all the more commonly-used Percussion Instruments we may, for the sake of completeness, give a single example of their forte combination in the peroration of a Movement. The example selected is from the end of Ischaikowsky's Symphonie…

Kettle-Drums, 29, 42. Pianoforte, 290, 294. Side-Drum, 24, 50. Tambourine, 32. Triangle, 34. Xylophone, 67. Becken. See Cymbals.

Timbales. See Kettle-Drums. Timpan, the Irish, 294. Timpani. See Kettle-Drums. Tiré, 339. Tone-colour- Bass-Drum, 30. Bass-Horn, 176. Bassoon, 235, 243. Bells, 53, 54. Celesta, 65.

Rettledrums....... cece ec eee steer ce eeeeenees 370 Bells..... cece cece cece eee ee ene s eee neeenees 885 Sets of small bells......0....0.. ccc eeeeeceeeee 888 The Glockenspiel.........0.-- 0s eee eeeeeeceeee 888 The Keyboard Harmonica (Glass…

b. With indefinite pitch, producing only noises of different timbre: Drum, Bass drum, Tambourine, Cymbals, Triangle, Gong, Crescent.

The bass drum, the tenor dram, the side drum, the tambourine, the cymbals, the gong, the triangle and the crescent produce only noises of various ‘characters..

It is needless to add that in these cases the bass drum is almost never used without the cymbals—as if these two instruments were inseparable by nature. In some orchestras they are even played by the same musician; one of the cymbals is fastened on top of the…

It is needless to add that in these cases the bass drum is almost never used without the cymbals—as if these two instruments were inseparable by nature. In some orchestras they are even played by the same musician; one of the cymbals is fastened on top of the…

…therefore indicate in his score their exact disposition. For instance, the drums, bass drums, cymbals and kettledrums may remain together if they are employed, as usual, to strike certain rhythms simultaneously. But if they execute an interlocutory rhythm, one…