From humble and, let’s face it, slightly impractical beginnings we find out how the timpani come to be the sound of so many great musical (and historical) moments.
In the first episode of Evolution of the Timpani Adrian Bending, our principal timpani, traces how the instrument evolved from nakers, carried on horseback, through the Baroque period.
Adrian looks at how old drums are constructed, and how they changed through the 17th century. He examines how they were used differently in church and ceremonial music, as well as the difference between German and English instruments, and how we can hear that in the music of the two baroque masters of the timps – Bach and Handel.
