Freer, Etude #1 for Timpani – Scherzo

We turn to something a little different today. Last week we looked at the clavichord, an instrument probably unfamiliar to most readers. Today we look at an instrument that is probably very familiar. The timpani is a staple of orchestras and bands, impressive both visually and aurally. I suspect that timpanists view themselves, with some justification, as king of the roost as they look out over anonymous violists and invisible second clarinetists.

The timpani or kettle drum goes back to ancient times. The Moon of Pejeng in Bali is more than two thousand years old. Even older, a Babylonian plague from about 700 B.C. shows a timpani. Some scholars suggest the Israelites brought kettle drums with them out of Egypt. Plutarch describes them in the first century A.D. as a big basin covered with leather and used by the Persians as war drums.

In early Islamic times, pairs of drums (one pitched higher than the other) were mounted on camels or horses. Instruments have long had military uses, sometimes for signaling and sometimes to strike fear in the enemy. Timpani became popular in military ceremonies in combination with trumpets.

Of course, the modern timpani has moved well beyond the rudimentary construction of hides and basins made of wood or various other materials. Timpani shells are now usually constructed of copper and the drumhead of calfskin. The shell gives the drum its tonal quality. The precise shape of the shell has an effect on which overtones predominate. With the invention of the pedal timpani in 1870, pitch can be varied by easily and quickly by manipulating the pedal. The pedal alters the tension on the hoop holding the drumhead.

The timpani was introduced into the orchestra by Jean-Baptiste Lully and were in wide use by the end of the 17th century. J.S. Bach featured them in the dramatic opening of his Christmas Oratorio. Joseph Haydn was himself a timpanist. The 19th century saw an increase in the number of drums and new techniques for playing them. Anton Reicha (1770-1836) is credited with introducing chords on timpani. His student, Hector Berlioz, called for an astonishing 16 kettle drums in Grand Messe de Mort (1837).

But you won’t find much written for solo timpani—understandably. Still, I like to explore the unusual to some extent in this series, so here is a short etude for solo timpani. The composer, Tom Freer, is principal timpanist with the Cleveland Orchestra.