“The Prince stood beside the timpanist to count his rests for him and see that he came in in the right place.” Hector Berlioz
The fact that Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Konstantin of Hohenzollern-Hechingen spent most of his time peering over the shoulder of Berlioz’s timpanist just goes to show that the best seat in the orchestra, for amateurs, professionals and royalty alike, is firmly at the helm of the timpani. Browse our sheet music and scores, and discover the wonderful world of the timpani today!
The word timpani comes from the Greek “tumpanon”, meaning “hand drum”, which in turn derives from the verb “tuptō”, which literally means “to hit”. The timpani is a set of large drums with a membrane, of either animal skin or plastic, stretched over a bowl, most commonly made of copper, and is played using mallets.
The first timpani style instruments, the Arabic “naqqara” came to Europe in the 13th Century. They were small, hand-held drums, which were quickly adopted by the military, and used in marching bands. By the 16th Century, the timpani became larger, and rather than being rudimentarily nailed together, the membrane began to be held in place by hoops and screws, allowing the drums to be tuned. The timpani began to feature more and more in classical music, and by the end of the 18th Century, they had firmly established themselves as the corner stone of every classical percussion section.
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 603325
for: 4 timpani
Music score
Item no.: 1479717
Collection of important passages from opera and concert literature
for: Timpani [percussion]
Music score
Item no.: 353893
for: Timpani
Music lesson book
Item no.: 327998
for: 4 timpani
Music score
Item no.: 456793
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 273156
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 357131
for: Timpani
Music lesson book
Item no.: 294246
for: Timpani
Music lesson book
Item no.: 392909
for: Timpani
Music lesson book
Item no.: 133882
for: Mallets [timpani]
Music lesson book
Item no.: 693441
for: Timpani
Music lesson book
Item no.: 559140
Rhythmic accuracy through flowing movements
for: Timpani
Music lesson book
Item no.: 1346343
for: Timpani
Book, CD
Item no.: 368070
for: Timpani
Music lesson book
Item no.: 459137
A Practice Compendium
for: Timpani
Music score (anthology)
Item no.: 817134
Practice Timpani without Timps - additional Methods
for: Timpani
Book
Item no.: 666468
for: Timpani
Music lesson book
Item no.: 158351
for: Timpani
Music lesson book
Item no.: 403586
for Timpani
for: Timpani
Music lesson book
Item no.: 477461
A Modern Method for Beginners
for: Timpani; piano ad lib.
Music lesson book, piano accompaniment, play-along CD
Item no.: 605934
for: Brass ensemble (13 parts), timpani
Score, Parts
Item no.: 820368
for: Brass ensemble (16 parts), timpani, latin percussion
Score
Item no.: 1023311
for: Timpani
Item no.: 297063
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 357135
for: 4 timpani
Music score
Item no.: 426100
for: Timpani
Item no.: 565170
with timpani part
compatible with the piano vocal score EB 9362 of the Urtext edition
for: 2 soloists (SBar), mixed choir (SATB), 2 pianos, timpani
Score
Item no.: 1012536
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 190550
for the Beginner on the Timpani
with Piano Accompaniment
for: Timpani, piano
Piano score, solo part, online audio (playback)
Item no.: 692680
for: Brass ensemble (14 parts), timpani, latin percussion
Item no.: 622822
for: Timpani
Item no.: 587047
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 941052
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 674309
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 290458
for: Timpani [percussion]
Music score
Item no.: 368963
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 929644
Timpani Book
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 1061597
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 1107605
for: Timpani
Music lesson book
Item no.: 196553
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 576293
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 479688
for: Timpani
Music lesson book (spiral binding)
Item no.: 261382
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 1107720
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 1107636
for: Timpani
Music lesson book, demo CD
Item no.: 638570
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 1346184
for: Timpani
Music score
Item no.: 1346183