Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
Encyclopedia
Eight Pieces for Four Timpani is a collection of short pieces by Elliott Carter
for solo timpani
– four drums played by one musician. Six of the pieces were composed in 1950. Two new pieces were added in 1966, and the rest were revised in collaboration with percussionist Jan Williams. Carter wrote the pieces as studies in tempo modulation
and the use of four-note chords. They are a collection rather than a suite, as Carter suggested no more than four be performed at once. The pieces make heavy use of extended techniques, including playing with the back end of the timpani sticks, varying the beating spot on the drumhead, glissando
s, and sympathetic vibration
.
n song. It is based on rhythmic acceleration.
shafts with moleskin
on the ends rather than conventional timpani sticks.
sticks, and uses pedal timpani to imply a continuous melodic line.
, consists of contrapuntal dance rhythms played at different speeds.
Elliott Carter
Elliott Cook Carter, Jr. is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer born and living in New York City. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in the 1930s, and then returned to the United States. After a neoclassical phase, he went on to write atonal, rhythmically complex music...
for solo timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, 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...
– four drums played by one musician. Six of the pieces were composed in 1950. Two new pieces were added in 1966, and the rest were revised in collaboration with percussionist Jan Williams. Carter wrote the pieces as studies in tempo modulation
Metric modulation
In music a metric modulation is a change from one time signature/tempo to another, wherein a note value from the first is made equivalent to a note value in the second, like a pivot...
and the use of four-note chords. They are a collection rather than a suite, as Carter suggested no more than four be performed at once. The pieces make heavy use of extended techniques, including playing with the back end of the timpani sticks, varying the beating spot on the drumhead, glissando
Glissando
In music, a glissando is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French glisser, to glide. In some contexts it is distinguished from the continuous portamento...
s, and sympathetic vibration
Acoustic resonance
Acoustic resonance is the tendency of an acoustic system to absorb more energy when it is forced or driven at a frequency that matches one of its own natural frequencies of vibration than it does at other frequencies....
.
Saëta
The "Saëta" (arrow) is named after a type of AndalusiaAndalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
n song. It is based on rhythmic acceleration.
Moto perpetuo
"Moto perpetuo" (perpetual motion) is a quick moving piece with a constant pulse. It is played with thin rattanRattan
Rattan is the name for the roughly 600 species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia.- Structure :...
shafts with moleskin
Moleskin
Moleskin, originally referring to the short, silky fur of a mole, is heavy cotton fabric, woven and then sheared to create a short soft pile on one side. The word is also used for clothing made from this fabric, as well as adhesive pads stuck to the skin to prevent blisters.Clothing made from...
on the ends rather than conventional timpani sticks.
Adagio
"Adagio", composed in 1966, is written for pedal timpani, and explores the many effects possible by changing the pitch of the drum while playing.Recitative
"Recitative" is a dramatic, slow piece that consists of three different elements: a tremolo, a bolero rhythm, and an irregular pulse.Improvisation
"Improvisation" uses a set of chromatic pitches with octave displacement and a constantly varying tempo.Canto
"Canto", added in 1966, is played with snare drumSnare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
sticks, and uses pedal timpani to imply a continuous melodic line.
Canaries
"Canaries", a reference to the French Baroque danceBaroque dance
Baroque dance is dance of the Baroque era , closely linked with Baroque music, theatre and opera.- English country dance :...
, consists of contrapuntal dance rhythms played at different speeds.