Timpani

What is a timpani?

The timpani is a kettle drum. It is a percussion instrument and belongs to the group of membranophones. It usually consists of a kettle-like, often hemispherical body covered with a plastic or animal skin head. The timpani is played with special mallets to produce different tones. The pitch of the timpani can be altered during playing by changing the tension of the head. There are different types of timpani, including the screw timpani, the machine timpani, the pedal timpani and the Viennese timpani. Timpani are used in various musical genres, especially in orchestras, ensembles and contemporary music.

As a rule, two to four timpani are used in the orchestra. In modern performances, up to ten timpani are played by one timpanist. In fast changes of tone, up to sixteen are played by two or more timpanists (Gruber: “Charivari”). There were already solo pieces in the Baroque era, and Wagner, Strauss, Mahler and Nielsen all have works with two timpanists. Berlioz used four timpani in his Symphonie Fantastique and as many as ten in his Requiem (Grande messe des morts).

History and development of the timpani

The origin of the word “Pauke”, which first appears in Middle High German (pûke or bûke, later diphthongized to pauke/bauke in Early New High German), remains a mystery. It may come from Latin or Greek, like the name of the ancient stringed instrument sambuca or the Roman brass instrument bucina. However, it could also be a more recent onomatopoeic neologism, comparable to the verb “pochen”, which means “to knock” or “to strike something repeatedly with a loud sound”.

The word spread from German into Dutch (pauk) and the Scandinavian languages (Danish and Norwegian pauke, Swedish puka). In the Romance languages, the terms are derived either from the tympanum (Greek), as in Italian “timpano” or in Spanish “tímpano”, or/and from the Arabic “tabl”, which leads to terms such as “timbal” in Spanish and “timbale” in French. The term “timpani” has been restricted to the kettledrum in music terminology, but is also used colloquially for the bass drum used in brass bands and marching bands.

How is the timpani constructed?

The timpani is usually an almost hemispherical bowl made of sheet copper (parabolic shape). It is covered with a skin made of plastic or animal skin and is played with mallets. In the music history and in the Orff-Schulwerk, wooden timpani with round or angular shapes are also documented.

Modern timpani shells are now also made of alternative materials such as glass fiber reinforced plastic or aluminum. The shell has an opening in the middle of the base. This is mainly used for pressure equalization and can have an effect on the decay time and the attack. A mechanism located either under the foot, inside the timpani or under the rim makes it possible to vary the tension of the skin. This allows the pitch to be changed during playing.

What types of timpani are there?

Until the end of the 19th century, screw timpani, the original form of today’s instruments, could be easily retuned to other notes with the help of screws. Because of their “original sound”, they are experiencing a renaissance in historically oriented orchestras under the name of baroque timpani. The development of timpani making continued with the machine timpani, whose central crank-lever system made tuning easier.

Around 1880, the invention of the pedal timpani revolutionized the instrument, allowing it to be retuned quickly and continuously using a foot pedal. The Viennese timpani with hand lever mechanism was prized by Richard Strauss and is still made in Vienna today. Despite its limitations in modern playing technique, it is preferred by traditional Viennese musicians because of its less percussive sound and clearly perceptible fundamental pitch.

What is the playing technique of the timpani?

Timpani playing technique is an art that requires both technical skill and a deep musical understanding. First of all, the basic posture of the timpanist is crucial: stand relaxed and upright in front of the timpani so that the arms are held at a natural angle. This posture makes it possible to guide the mallets precisely to the center of the head without unnecessary movements of the upper body or arms.

The position of the mallet is similar to that of a drumstick, with the main point of contact being between the thumb and index finger. The remaining fingers grip the mallet loosely to ensure flexibility and control. The actual stroke is mainly made from the wrist, while the arm remains stable. This technique ensures that the mallet bounces off the skin after the strike and does not rest on it, allowing the timpani’s resonance to be fully appreciated.

The dynamics are controlled by the intensity of the touch: a soft touch produces soft, delicate tones, while a strong touch produces loud, penetrating sounds. The change in pitch, which is achieved with the foot pedal on pedal timpani, is particularly demanding. A precise ear is required here to tune the timpani correctly during a piece, especially when changing notes quickly.

Another important element of timpani technique is the choice of mallets. Soft mallets produce a warm, round sound that is suitable for soft passages, while harder mallets produce a clear, precise tone that is well suited to accentuated and prominent entries. The damping technique also plays an important role: by placing the hand or fingers on the head, the sound can be specifically stopped or damped to avoid excessive reverberation.

The rolling technique is used for a continuous sound surface. The mallets are struck alternately on the skin in quick succession to produce a uniform, continuous sound. All these techniques require close coordination and a fine sense of sound in order to integrate the timpani into the music as an expressive and versatile instrument.

In military music, timpani were traditionally used by mounted troops. Foot troops, on the other hand, used the much easier to transport snare drum as a percussion instrument.

List of famous timpanists

• Andreas Aigmüller
• Bob Becker
• Bruce Pulk
• Cloyd Duff
• Edgar Guggeis
• Ernst Pfundt
• Gerd Boder
• Gordon Gottlieb
• Hans-Dieter Lembens
• Haskell Harr
• Heinrich Knauer
• Jean-Pierre Drouet
• Joachim Gruner
• Karl Peinkofer
• Klaus Schwärzler
• Kurt Engel
• Leon Milo
• Michel Perrault
• Nicholas Bardach
• Peter Sadlo
• Red Saunders
• Roland Härdtner
• Salvatore Rabbio
• Saul Goodman
• Shannon Wood
• Siegfried Fink
• Stephan Froleyks
• Saul Goodman
• Thilo Berg
• Anatoly Vasilyevich Ivanov
• Werner Thärichen
• Wolfgang Preissler
• Wolfgang Schuster
• Vic Firth

Timpani manufacturer

• Adams
• Bergerault
• Ludwig
• Majestic
• Pearl
• Sonor

How much do timpani cost?

Timpani are high-quality instruments and are not cheap to buy. Elaborate models with copper shells and calfskins can cost well over 1,000 euros. Even simple models that are suitable for beginners or students have their price and often start at around 500 euros. The price can vary greatly depending on the manufacturer, material and features. Professional timpani, which are used in orchestras and for demanding performances, often range from 2,000 to 5,000 euros and more. Anyone looking for a good timpani should therefore be prepared to invest an appropriate amount in order to obtain an instrument with a convincing sound and quality.