Kettle drums
A timpanist at work
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| Percussion instrument | |
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| Other names | Kettle drums, Timps, Pauken |
| Hornbostel–Sachs classification | 211.11-922 (Struck membranophone with membrane lapped on by a rim) |
| Developed | at least c. 6th century AD |
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Timpani (/ˈtɪmpəni/;Italian pronunciation: [ˈtimpani]), or kettledrums (also informally called timps), are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet. Timpani evolved from military drums to become a staple of the classical orchestra by the last third of the 18th century. Today, they are used in many types of musical ensembles, including concert bands, marching bands, orchestras, and even in some rock.
Timpani is an Italian plural, the singular of which is timpano. However, in informal English speech a single instrument is rarely called a timpano: several are more typically referred to collectively as kettledrums, timpani, temple drums, timpano, timp-toms, or simply timps. They are also often incorrectly termed timpanis. A musician who plays the timpani is a timpanist.
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