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Kettledrum

A kettledrum (or kettle drum) (/ˈkɛtldrʌm/) is a type of percussion instrument in which a membrane is stretched over a large hemispherical bowl.^[1] Traditionally, the bowl is made of a metal such as copper or bronze, but materials such as clay and wood have also been used.^[2]

In Western music, timpani are the most commonly used types of kettledrums, so much so that their names have almost become synonymous. However, most cultures, especially those of Southeast Asia and the Middle East, have their own distinct types of kettledrums.

Etymology and terminology

The word "kettledrum" first appeared in the writings of Thomas Seymour to Henry VIII in 1542 after the king had ordered several sets from Vienna.^[3]^[4]

In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, kettle drums were given the number '211.1' as part of their own unique classification.

Construction

Kettledrums can vary widely in the shape of their bowl, even within those of the same type. For example, timpani may be parabolic, cambered, or elliptical in shape. The exact way the shape of the bowl affects the sound is debated.

When struck, most kettledrums, such as the timpani and tabla, produce a strong pitch.^[5]^[6]

History

Some of the earliest kettledrums appeared in Southeast Asia during the 6th century BCE and now serve as late Bronze age artifacts.^[7] Such drums, such as the Đông Sơn drums of Vietnam, were made using the lost-wax casting technique.

As war drums

Kettledrums have had a long history as serving as war drums, particularly within the cavalry.^[8]

Types


Name	Place of Origin	Description
Bayan	India	This is the lower-pitched drum in a set of tabla. A type of hand drum, the player can change the pitch of the drum by pressing the heel of the palm into the head.^[9]
Damaha	Nepal	One of the five main instruments in the Panchai ensemble, this large kettledrum contrasts the smaller tyamko. It has a neck strap to be carried and is played with a pair of wooden mallets. The Nepalese Damai caste, made up of largely musicians, takes its name after the instrument.^[10]
Kudüm	Turkey	This is a pair of kettledrums consisting of the smaller tek and the larger düm. Played with soft, wooden mallets, they are an important part of Mevlevi musical ensembles.^[11]
Kūrgā	Mongolia	This was a very large kettledrum introduced to the Islamic world through the Mongols. It is considered the precursor if not the same drum as the tabl al kabir.^[12]^[13]^[14]
Kus	Persia	From the Aramaic word kūša, meaning "march", this was a war drum found alongside the karnay in Ancient Persia.
Naqareh	Middle East	These drums were usually found in pairs and used for various purposes, from processional music to religious ceremonies. It later was imported to Europe where it became known as the naker. It is the direct ancestor of modern timpani and of the bāyā tabla drum.^[15]
Tabla	India	This pair of hand drums are among the most important instruments in Indian classical music. The bāyā, the larger and lower drum, is a kettledrum typically formed of brass.^[16]
Timpani	Europe	This is a standard percussion instrument within the modern symphony orchestra
Tyamko	Nepal	One of the five main instruments in the Panchai ensemble, this small kettledrum contrasts the larger damaha. It has a neck strap to be carried and is played with a pair of wooden mallets.^[10]

References

^ "kettledrum". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. July 2023. doi:10.1093/OED/1164460246. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
^ Heise, Birgit (2001). "Wooden Timpani". The Galpin Society Journal. 54: 339–351. doi:10.2307/842459.
^ Kirby, Percival R. (1928). "The Kettle-Drums: An Historical Survey". Music & Letters. 9 (1): 34–43.
^ Weiss, Susan Forscher; Fujinaga, Ichiro (2011). "New Evidence for the Origins of Kettledrums in Western Europe". Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society. 37: 5–18, 186–188.
^ Rossing, Thomas D. (November 1982). "The Physics of Kettledrums". Scientific American. 247 (5): 172–178. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1182-172.
^ The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2014). "kettledrum". Encyclopedia Britannica.
^ Spennemann, Dirk H. R. (March 1987). "Evolution of Southeast Asian Kettle-drums". Antiquity. 61 (231): 71–75. doi:10.1017/S0003598X00072537.
^ Farmer, Henry George (1948). "The Great Kettledrums of the Artillery". Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research. 26 (107): 94–105.
^ Arnold, Alison (2017). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia: The Indian Subcontinent. Routledge. p. 341. ISBN 978-1-351-54438-2. OCLC 1004990059.
^ ^a ^b Gurung, Ganga B. (November 2018). "Understanding the Dichotomy of Auspicious and Untouchability: An Ethnographic Study of Damai Musicians of Nepal". Contemporary Voice of Dalit. 10 (2): 138–150. doi:10.1177/2455328X18785453.
^ Seeman, Sonia Tamar (2019). Sounding Roman: Representation and Performing Identity in Western Turkey. Oxford University Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-19-994925-0. OCLC 1103217909.
^ Farmer, Henry George (1962). "Monster Kettledrums". Music and Letters. 43 (2): 129–130. doi:10.1093/ml/43.2.129.
^ Beck 2007, p. 87.
^ Farmer, Henry George (2008). "Ṭabl". Encyclopedia of Islam (Second ed.). Brill Publishing. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_1136.
^ Blades, James (January 1973). "Percussion instruments of the Middle Ages and Renaissance: Their history in literature and painting". Early Music. 1 (1): 11–18. doi:10.1093/earlyj/1.1.11.
^ Montagu, Jeremy (2011). "tablā". In Latham, Alison (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Music. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780199579037.001.0001.

Bibliography

Beck, John H., ed. (2007). Encyclopedia of Percussion (Second ed.). Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-97123-2. OCLC 71632274.
Blades, James (2021). Glennie, Evelyn; Percy, Neil (eds.). Percussion Instruments and Their History (Extended ed.). Kahn & Averill. ISBN 978-0-9957-5743-1. OCLC 1259692236.