Chapter 1
The kings of the kitchen
Chapter 2
The mighty kettles that sing
Chapter 3
From battlefield to concert hall
Chapter 4
The physics of making a racket
Chapter 5
Stealing the spotlight
YOUR GOAL
Master of Thunder in the back row
Ch 1 · The kings of the kitchen
maestro Orchestral Percussion Section
Loud in the kitchen, / copper kettles roll, / stomp that pedal to tune!
maestro Expressive 3D animated timpani and percussion instruments fill a warm orchestral stage.
Fun Fact
Triangle's unusual shape: Early orchestral triangles were often actual triangles but with rings dangling from the bottom bar to add a continuous, jingling buzz.
Glossary
timpani (noun plural)
Large orchestral kettledrums consisting of a copper bowl with a head stretched across it, tuned to specific pitches. Jean-Baptiste Lully first introduced these kettledrums to the classical orchestra in his 1675 opera Thésée.
Large orchestral kettledrums consisting of a copper bowl with a head stretched across it, tuned to specific pitches. Jean-Baptiste Lully first introduced these kettledrums to the classical orchestra in his 1675 opera Thésée.
Quiz
What 1914 classification system group categorized instruments into idiophones and membranophones?
Quiz
Which percussion instrument consists of a metal bar bent into a three-sided shape and struck with a metal beater?
Quiz
What nickname do orchestral musicians use for the percussion section due to its variety of tools?
Quiz
What is the primary physical challenge of an orchestral percussionist during quiet symphonic movements?
Quiz
Which country or region did the massive, unpitched orchestral tam-tam gong originate from?
Quiz
Which instrument classification refers to instruments like gongs and triangles that vibrate their entire body to make sound?