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”
Category: Timpani
Articles dealing with timpani, their history, technique and repertoire.
In memoriam David Searcy
In memoriam David Searcy. Sadly, I am writing again mourning a loss. David Searcy has passed away on August, 2nd. David was timpanist for the orchestra of Teatro alla Scala in Milan (before that, he played for the Bergen Philharmonic), a magnificent musician, and an excellent person. He was also a faculty member at the Royal… Continue reading In memoriam David Searcy
Editing timpani parts (and III)
Editing timpani parts (and III). In this last article on the series I have wanted to use examples from Verdi himself to prove my points when editing the timpani part of his “Requiem“. It is not my intention when quoting the composer to fall into an “ad verecundiam” fallacy; by showing examples of his writing… Continue reading Editing timpani parts (and III)
Editing timpani parts (II)
Editing timpani parts (II). Continuing with the issue that we previously discussed, I´d like to show you my version of the “Sanctus” from Verdi´s “Requiem”. The use of full range speakers or headphones is highly recommended. You can legally and freely download the score and the parts here: IMSLP. © David Valdés This… Continue reading Editing timpani parts (II)
Editing timpani parts (I)
Editing timpani parts (I). He who has ever played repertoire by Mendelssohn, Schubert, Dvorak, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Weber, Gounod, opera (mainly Italian and French works) and, as a particular case, Spanish zarzuela, is very likely to have found on many occasions notes that do not “match” with the harmonic/melodic context and, depending on his audacity or… Continue reading Editing timpani parts (I)