Timila
Timila, also thimila, thimala ( malayalam തിമില ), is a wooden hourglass drum that is played in Hindu ceremonial music in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Among other temple orchestras Timila belongs mainly to Panchavadyam, an ensemble of four different percussion instruments and a natural trumpet.
Design
The body of the Timila consists of a piece of wood of the jackfruit tree ( malayalam Varikka plavu ), which is hollowed out to a thickness of about one centimeter inside and outside sanded smooth. The shape is slim and fitted in an elegant sweep to the center. The length is about 60 inches, about 90 or about 100 centimeters, with a diameter at both ends of 27 centimeters and an average diameter of 11 centimeters. The two membranes are made from calf skin by separate circular rings ( valayal ) are drawn from bamboo and bonded. The diameters of the rings are slightly larger than the body openings. The as -made membrane plates are symmetrically pierced in six places at the edge. The membranes maintain their position on both sides of the carcass only through the holes passed through the W-shaped lacing consisting of twisted strips of skin and clamped together. By means of a cross around the waist extending cord can tune into the desired pitch eardrums. The cord total required should be 25 feet long.
The player hangs the Timila on a fabric band around the left shoulder, holding the instrument approximately horizontally sideways with your left hand at waist level. With the fingers of both hands, he proposes only the anterior tympanic membrane. We distinguish between two types of stroke, and the tha thom hot. Playing position and stroke technique similar to African Sanduhrtrommeln.
Origin and Distribution
The Timila belongs to a number of Indian Sanduhrtrommeln whose origins lie in pre-Christian times in the region from the eastern Iranian plateau across northern India to Tibet. The religious and mythological importance of Sanduhrtrommeln goes back to the small damaru, which is estimated as an attribute of Shiva and other gods. The Timila also represents the cosmic drum of Shiva. A slightly larger damaru drum is on the southern edge of the Himalayas known as hurka.
In the ceremonial drum orchestra Panchavadyam ( "Five musical instruments " ), the ( kovil ) is listed in the yard of a temple, the Timila takes the lead role. The other percussion instruments are the hourglass idakka whose range it identifies over two octaves as a melody instrument, the greater doubt celled barrel drum madhalam ( Maddale in Karnataka ), both with a wooden body, and the little bronze pair basin elathalam. In addition the only wind instrument the curved natural trumpet kombu. The cylindrical drum Chenda otherwise used in religious ceremonies missing in this ensemble. Large Panchavadyam orchestra usually have one to two idakka player, something more madhalam player and twice as many are available from the other instruments as madhalams. A beginning at temple festivals in the morning Panchavadyam - performance lasts eight hours, more hours in the evening and follow later in the night. In today's game, the Panchavadyam Orchestra has existed since 1930, when it was brought from Maddalam player Venkateswara Iyer in a standardized form.
Another ceremonial orchestra is the Vilakkacharam ( Kriyangom ), which comes in various worship rituals ( pujas ) are used. The drums called accompany the invocation songs of temple singers, occasionally supplemented by the double-reed instrument kuzhal (also kurumkuzhal ). For background music in dance theater Kutiyattam the Timila can be played with the idakka, the mizhavu consisting of a large round copper kettle drum, the conch and cymbals Shanku ( kulitalam ).
Among the most important Timila players Kuzhoor Narayana Marar and Kongad Vijayan include († 2006). The temple drummer in Kerala are members of the caste of Maaran ( Marar ).