Timpani

The Timpani (Italian: timpano; pl timpani, French: . Timbale, English: kettledrum " boiler drum ") is a percussion instrument from the group of Membranophones. The pairs use is common; individual pieces of music required but since the 18th century, four or more instruments.

The bass drum usually consists of a nearly hemispherical copper pot that is covered with a coat of plastic or animal skin. From the history of music and the Orff -Schulwerk but also round and even shaped drums made ​​of wood are known. Furthermore, there are now also timpani kettle from art materials (eg fiberglass ) or aluminum. The boiler has a small hole that serves the exchange of air in the up-and - down swing of the coat in the middle. Through a mechanism that is attached to either the bottom of the foot, in the tympanic inside or under the edge of the coat can be different too tight. This allows the pitch change while playing.

• 3.1 preforms
• 3.2 18th century
• 3.3 20-21. century

• 4.1 screws Timpani
• 4.2 Machine Timpani
• 4.3 Pedal Timpani
• 4.4 Viennese timpani

Molding

Mood

Timpani, in which the time-consuming tightening of each bolt is replaced by a so-called "machine", which acts uniformly on the entire periphery, hot machine timpani. When the pedal timpani can regulate the pitch with the help of a pedal. Thus, the timpanist able to change the mood while playing continuously ( glissando ). Another special form is the Viennese Timpani, is when moved by means of a hand wheel not the fur, but the boiler by moving lever up and down.

Today we used timpani in five different sizes with a range of des- B, F -d, B- fis, there -a and g -d '.

Tension

Worldwide ( plastic heads ) have prevailed for the cover of the tympanic plastic skins. In the great orchestras of the classical tradition in Austria, Germany and Switzerland and in the USA, UK, Australia, Japan, Scandinavia and in parts of France, however, continued to play on natural skins. In Austria, Switzerland and also in parts of Scandinavia, these are usually sharpened goat skins, in Germany and in other countries usually impregnated split calf skins ( from Celbridge, Ireland).

Use

Usually two to four timpani are used side by side in the orchestra; , up to sixteen timpani of two or more timpanist played: be in modern times to realize quick succession, different tones for up to ten timpani of a timpanist ( " Charivari " Gruber ). Already in Baroque gave solo pieces for one or more timpanist ( brothers A. and D. A. D. P. Philidor, Babelon, 1690 ). In Wagner, Strauss, Mahler and Nielsen, there are works in which two timpanist are busy. Berlioz sat in his Symphonie Fantastique and four in his Requiem ( Grande messe des morts ) an even ten timpanist.

Timpani mallets have heads made ​​of felt, leather, flannel, cork or wood. Thus, the player can realize different nuances of soft ( felt) to hard (wood). For special effects, the type of mallets be prescribed. The learned art Pauker avail themselves of numerous so-called Schlagmanieren or art beats ( simple tongue, double tongue, worn tongue [ borrowed from the wind instruments expressions ], double-cross strokes, vortex, etc.), in which she also in elevators, Intraden and other pieces that simply prescribed notes dissolve ( Altenburg attempt at a guide to heroic and musical trumpeters and drummers = art =, Hall 1795 - J. CH Hendel publisher. ). This technique is used in the music literature to early Romanticism. At the latest with the conversion of the idea of ​​sound ( Berlioz, Weber ), the slings and with it the technology has changed. Was until then the wooden mallet tone, so now is the sponge mallets trump, from which developed the now mainly common felt or Flanellschlägel. From the derived from the drum technique double whammy vertebrae ( RR LL), with clearly out heard the two group, the felling vertebrae ( RLRL ) to be executed as possible evenly and without audible accent developed.

In the military music timpani were once used traditionally in parts mounted troops. Used infantry as percussion on the other hand is much easier to transport snare drum (see also cavalry march ).

Development

Preforms

The oldest known boiler drum is the sacred drum used in Mesopotamia in a bull cult of sacrifice since early Babylonian period lilissu. The drum was called after the Old Testament, the Hebrews toph or aduse. Up to the Praetorius as a " tremendous rumble drums " mentioned army drums of the 16th and 17th centuries (Syntagma Musicum II, De Organographia 1619) and our Concert Timpani kettle drums are to be found among all nations in the most varied shapes and forms. From the Persians and Turks pairs played kettle drum naqqara came to the West and spread from the 12th century in England as nakers and in the German language as puke.

18th century

As one of the timpani still sparse and they made ​​use of tonic-dominant ( fifth or fourths ) voted regularly, they were treated in the listing as a transposing instrument, which means that you wrote at the beginning before the mood: Timpani in ES- B or D -A, B- F, etc., but it is always recorded with the C- G, or rather, C -G. From this use came from you, as the composer also about the fourth or fifth beyond tones demanded ( Beethoven: Fidelio A- to 7th Symphony in A f, 8th and 9th Symphony in F f).

In the 18th century Paukenvirtuosität was in full bloom, as princely Hofpauker gave up to fourteen timpani concerts, where they still threw while beating the clapper in the air and fielded back in time. (Works by J. C. Ch Fischer, J. Ch F. Fischer, J. K. F. Fischer, Družecký ( Druschetzky ), Endler, Graupner, Molter )

20-21. century

As a solo concert instrument, the bass drum comes in the music of the 20th and 21st century is unlikely. Among the few examples: Capriccietto for four timpani and string orchestra ( around 1932 ) by Gerster, Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra by Thärichen (1954 ), The Forest - Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra by Matthus (1984 ) or the Concert Piece for Timpani and Orchestra by Kagel (1990 to 1992). Also Widmann's Con brio Concert Overture for Orchestra ( 2008) is a timpani concerto in a sentence regarding the composition system.

Designs

Screws Timpani

The screws timpani are the original type of the instruments played today, as they could be swayed by the screws a few steps on a different tone. They were until the end of the 19th century and are now in use because of their " original sound " back frequently, especially by orchestras with historical sound, used in concerts.

Machine Timpani

1836 built Einbigler (Frankfurt), the first so-called machine drum, a structure in which the retuning a central crank -lever system ( Kurbel-/Hebel-System ) was dissolved. The voices, and especially the re-tuning became faster and easier. Timpani of this system are increasingly being used in plants with little Umstimmaufgaben their special sound characteristics due again today. The resulting by 1850 in various versions rotary boiler drum has not prevailed in symphonic music.

Pedal Timpani

The big change came with the invention of the bass drum pedal around 1880. It is not certain who built the first pedal timpani. The patent of Pittrich dates from 1881 and has been leading the way for all subsequent pedal systems. Now you could retune the timpani continuously and quickly with the foot. The Pathfinder had during the Umstimmvorgangs both hands free and could, what was new, run a swirled glissando. Strauss was one of the first composers of this new technique used ( Salomé ). Bartók has used the effect of the vortex and glissandos particularly effective in his Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion.

Viennese timpani

Richard Strauss was excited but also by another bang type, namely that of the " Viennese timpani ." This is a hand lever Timpani, that was the principal timpanist of the Vienna Philharmonic Hans Schnellar (1865-1945) developed from the Dresden timpani. Modified by his successors Richard Hochrainer and Wolfgang Schuster Viennese timpani are also currently produced in Vienna, and will continue to be used in all the great Viennese tradition orchestras almost exclusively. With this construction, a mechanism presses the vessel against the skin by a predetermined fixed pitch to achieve, and as a skin is used goat parchment. The gameplay with hand lever restricts modern playing techniques, as for example no glissando vortex is possible. Preferably, the instrument is still in Vienna, because the sound is less percussive, but the basic pitch, however, is clearly perceived.

Known timpanist

• Category Paukist