Timpani: A Brief History
    by Mark Wessels

The word "timpani" is derived from the latin word timpanum, which means "drum with vibrating membrane." Also known as kettledrums (because of the copper or brass "kettle" that makes up the resonating chamber), the timpani are the only member of the drum family in western music that produces a recognizable pitch. Various pitches on a timpano are obtained by means of evenly stretching the head across the bearing edge of the kettle.

The earliest reference to the timpani's most likely ancestor dates back to carved images from the Mesopotania in 4000 BC. They also appear in the writings of Persian epic poets Ferdosi and Nezami, who each mentioned the kus and karnay when describing battles in 530-330 BC. This pair of clay, wood or metal kettle-shaped pots had a skin stretched over the mouth of the opening and were played with leather or wood drumsticks (daval). Carried on horseback, camelback or elephantback, the kus are represented in many Persian paintings, showing its presence and importance on the battlefield as a means of encouraging and signaling army troops.

The naghghareh (from the Arabic verb naghr, which means to strike or beat) can be found in various sizes and regions throughout Iran (called desarkutan in Northern Iran) and India (nagara) during this same time period. In Egypt, these small kettle-shaped drums were used in the traditional naubat ensemble, which played a vital role in sporting ceremonies and weddings. The larger drums were carried on camels and played during pilgrimages, or were beaten before the five daily prayers.

Kettledrums were adopted in western Europe during the Crusades of the 13th century. The Arabic term naghghareh became the French nacaires, the Italian naccheroni, and the English nakers. Still small in comparison to today's timpani, these kettle drums were 15-25cm in diameter and frequently had attached snares. Played mostly in military contexts (processions and triumphal marches), they eventually became utilized in court festivals and dances.

The larger sized kettle drums, most similar to what we would recognize as timpani today, were introduced to western Europe in the 15th century by the Ottoman Turks and Mongols. Carried on horseback, these kettle drums had a prominent place in the calvary and were used in large ceremonial processions. In 1457, a royal procession of representatives of King Ladislas V of Hungary made a grand appearance in France. Paired with trumpets, these large kettledrums mounted on horseback made a spectacular impression on the European nobility, who restricted their employment to those of high rank. With this image, kettledrums came to symbolize the power of monarchs.

At the time, all trumpeters and timpanists belonged to exclusive guilds (an association of craftsmen). In 1528, Emperor Charles V granted the Company of Court and Field Trumpeters the status of an imperial guild. Members of the guild held the rank of officers and wore the dress of the nobility. They were forbidden to associate with other instrumentalists, who were considered mere household employees. To obtain membership into the Kettledrummers' and Trumpeters' Guild, one had to apprentice for a period of up to seven years, during which he would take an an oath to keep the techniques of the skilled art a secret.

Throughout most of the 15th and 16th centuries, the timpani played a traditional role in the military, but also began to find a role in church ceremonies as well. Frequently, timpani and trumpets were used in stage music, in which they symbolized aristocratic power, or military engagements. With the introduction of gunpowder in western military, the trumpeters and timpanists eventually lost their role in military signaling duties, and eventually the guilds lost a great deal of power. With this, the kettle drum was accepted in the orchestra.

During the Baroque and early Classical periods, it was customary for composers such as Purcell, Bach and Handel to notate specific pitches to be played by the timpani. Because the timpani at the time had no mechanical means of changing pitches rapidly (up to this time, individual screws around the drum had to be tightened or loosened to adjust the pitch), a composer would be regulated to one pitch throughout an entire work.

Up to the early 1800's, it was customary for the timpanist to "embellish" the score with notes that were not penned by the composer, as was the tradition of training within the guild. With the eventual disbanding of the guilds altogether, composers began to notate specific parts to be played by the timpanist.

One of the most influencial composers for the timpani at the time was Ludwig Van Beethoven, who expanded the role of the timpanist in the orchestra. Beethoven was the first to use intervals other than the common 4th or 5th, using a minor 6th (A-F) in his 7th symphony, as well as using the timpani for the introduction of thematic material.

Eventually, tuning mechanisms were developed which enabled the timpanist to rapidly change pitches. In 1812, timpanist Gerhard Cramer invented a hand-operated crank which could tighten or loosen a master screw, to which all other screws were attached. The pedal drum was invented in the 1870's by C. Pittrich in Dresden and is now considered the standard orchestral kettledrum.

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Bowles, Edmund A. "The double, double, double beat of the thundering drum: The timpani in early music." Early Music 19/3 (August 1991): 419-435

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Tobischek, Herbert. Die Pauke: Ihre spiel- und bautechnische Entwicklung in der Neuzeit. [The Timpani: Its Technical and Structural Development in the Modern Era.] Tutzing, Germany: Hans Schneider, 1977