Percussion/Timpani Sheet Music

The loud noisy couple timpani ('timpano’ as singular) are the prime of percussion family. Also called the kettledrums, timpani of all sizes are met in all symphony orchestras and many contemporary ensembles. Like many percussion instruments timpani originated from military equipment in times of crusaders and it was only in the 17th century when they were received to the orchestra. It is the only drum that can be tuned to a specific pitch by controlling the tension of the drum head. If we look back at the history of music from the Middle Ages to the present day, it will be quite easy to track unusual love for this instrument. Timpani was cherished by classical geniuses like Mahler, Stravinsky, Holst as well as by brilliant modern composers like Philip Glass or William Kraft who wrote epic works out of timpani alone. Pop and rock music from 60ies to now has been busted by these tumbling drums: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Ciara represent some of the artists whose music is boomed up with timpani. More than 6186 music scores of well-known pieces for timpani can be found in MusicaNeo timpani section.