A mistake in the tambourine part in “Trepak” We are deep into “The Nutcracker” (P. I. Tchaikovsky) season. This ballet is a tremendously popular work that is played very often during Christmas. The percussion parts are great and the “Trepak” features a very funny part, which is also technical challenge, and that is why it… Continue reading A mistake in the tambourine part in “Trepak”
Category: Early music
Timpani in Mendelssohn´s “Scottish” symphony
Timpani in Mendelssohn´s “Scottish” symphony Felix Mendelssohn started composing his Symphony No. 3 in A minor, op. 56 (“Scottish”) in 1829 after a trip to Scotland (which also inspired him to write the overture “The Hebrides”), but the symphony was abandoned for more than a decade and it was completed between 1841 and 1842. It… Continue reading Timpani in Mendelssohn´s “Scottish” symphony
My home-made Renaissance drum
My home-made Renaissance drum. A side drum is an ancient kind of large drum that was used in Europe by the landsknechts, mercenaries from the German area. Said troops fought on the side of the highest bidder, and they even were part of the Spanish infantry under emperor Carlos I. Said drum was played… Continue reading My home-made Renaissance drum
Making my own Renaissance long drum
Making my own Renaissance long drum. I always wanted a large drum like that owned by my dear colleague Manolo Durán. © David Valdés His drum has been used by the Oviedo Opera Foundation, by the Asturias Symphony Orchestra in several early music programs. I wanted one like his, but stablished brands do not offer… Continue reading Making my own Renaissance long drum
Home-made “Baguettes d´éponge”
Home-made “Baguettes d´éponge”. Berlioz was a composer who showed a real interest in percussion and greatly contributed to its development. Trying to improve the timpani sound, he advocated the use of different types of sticks to enrich the color palette produced by these instruments. One of the types of stick that he indicated was “baguettes… Continue reading Home-made “Baguettes d´éponge”
Home-made (“DIY”) Turkish crescent
Home-made (“DIY”) Turkish crescent. As you already know, I am really interested in historical percussion and performance. I have always wanted to make a Turkish crescent to play early music, so I finally jumped into it and made my own jingle Johny. Before we get into the specific making-process, I would like to introduce you… Continue reading Home-made (“DIY”) Turkish crescent
A curiosity: on the anatomical and physical conditions required to play a drum
A curiosity: on the anatomical and physical conditions to play a drum. As you already may know, I have a keen interest in everything related to the history and tradition of drums. Searching for information in the Biblioteca Virtual del Ministerio de Defensa (“Virtual Library of the Ministry of Defense”), I found a book entitled… Continue reading A curiosity: on the anatomical and physical conditions required to play a drum
DIY “Rute”
DIY “rute”. In ten days, rehearsals for Mahler #6 will start. I will be in charge of the bass drum and, as you may know, there is a European tradition which ties together this instrument and the rute. A rute is a bunch of twigs used to hit the bass drum shell, resulting in a… Continue reading DIY “Rute”
“Armonica a bicchieri” in Donizetti´s operas
“Armonica a bicchieri” in Donizetti´s operas. There is a video which has become quite popular among percussionists in the last few days. It features a rehearsal of “Lucia di Lammermoor” at the Metropolitan Opera; more precisely, the famous “mad scene” (“Il dulce suono…”, act III, scene 2). The curious thing about it is its historically… Continue reading “Armonica a bicchieri” in Donizetti´s operas
Restoration of a rope drum
Restoration of a rope drum. While working on my own 16″x16″ historical rope drum (“DIY historic rope tension drum I”, “DIY historic rope tension drum II” and future articles), I came across an already made 14″x12″ drum at a very good price, so I could not resist the temptation and got it. Said drum was… Continue reading Restoration of a rope drum