Timpani Question

Do composers ever consider the stress or strain that they might be placing on a performer?

I’m currently writing a four-movement piece. Each movement is likely to be between 10 to 15 minutes in duration for a total of an hour long performance with possible intermissions between movements.

All four movements begin and end with solo Timpani which also plays basically the same three notes consistently throughout the entire four movements. There are some slight changes in loudness, tempo, and expression, plus there are a few spots where the Timpanist will play some major effects in this lengthy tone poem. However, for the most part the Timpanist will basically be the heartbeat of the entire piece through all four movements with very little variation played mostly pianissimo throughout the entire four movements.

Is this too much to ask of a Timpanist? Almost an hour of playing the same three notes with only slight variations in tempo and expression along the way?

Should composers even consider the performers when composing music, or do most composers just write music and let the performers deal with it? I can’t help but think of what I’m asking the performers to do with every note I write.

Well if the timpanist can't handle sustained playing for an amount of time, even an hour, than they really shouldn't be timpanists should they? :thumbsup:

It's good to consider the musicians feelings, but you have to remember, these are most likely professionals.

Well... if he's a professional timpanist then he can probably do it. But I disagree with Alex. They're most likely NOT professionals. If it's anything less than a major orchestra(ie. the musicians aren't being paid 300 bucks an hour) then they often get members of other sections to fill up the percussion section(Almost always a disaster. I've seen it happen countless times). Your timpanist will actually probably be a pianist who has played timps with the orchestra for a few years. Not a pro.

It would help if you posted the piece but do you really need the timps going for that long? This is sort of a basic orchestration concept I think. If you have any instrument playing for that length of time throughout an orchestral piece(Unless perhaps it's a repetition based piece) it may be time to rethink your parts.

My advice, you can do it but in the real world you will get mixed results. Unless you have a professional orchestra, in which case you yourself are probably a pro. However, your profile says you're 13 years old so I'm betting you're starting out.

My advice part two, rethink the part.

Yeah I agree with Tumababa. The timpanist could definately do it but I think that repetition would not only get boring for the timpani player but for the audience as well. My advice would be to a) have variation and not have the timpani go the whole time, and b) if you want to have the timpani go on for a long time maybe make the part a little less repetitive.

But, that is just opinion. Good luck.

By the way a score would help.

My profile says I'm 13? That's news to me.

I'm only just starting to compose this piece. I have the four movements outlined in my mind, but I'm actually only about 1 minute into the first movement in detail. I don't think the timpani part is going to be as repetitive as I first thought. There will be quite a few changes in beat and tempo along the way actually.

That main ‘pulse’ is a key motive to the whole piece though and timpani will be the solo beginning and end of all but the finale of last movement. I think it will be alright after all. I’m actually not thinking of having a professional orchestra play this. It will probably be played by a local college near me. I’m not even sure if they have timpani but the timpanist will probably be a student anyway.

I don’t have much score written yet. I just converted the whole piece over to a new software program and I’m dealing with having to learn the new user interface.

I’m working on a Trumpet part now. Does anyone know how to write score to make a trumpet sound like a newborn baby crying? I have a wave file of a newborn baby crying if that will help. (34 kb *.wav)

http://www.csonline.net/designer/ideas/baby-cry.wav

Whoops. I was reading Alex's profile. Nevermind.

i always thought about how performs would feel about how performers would react to my "hard parts".

Am I being to hard? I thought. And then i said. O well Im the compoer and this is what makes the piece work. So deal.

well.....not that mean of course. but you get it.

You must definitely consider your performers when writing a piece.

For example - do not give your string players tremoli for too long a duration, or their arms will just get tired!

As for the timpani thing, he should be able to do it. Or ask for 2 players to take alternate movements.

well...

unless you have an extremely well thought philosophical idea, on why the timpanist gets beaten up like this, then why do it in the first place? I know that it's not what you're asking, but you already got your answer pretty much (it can be done, but it's borring), so I'm brinigng a new level to the "issue". Why do it really? Especially with timpani.

timpani will "muffle" the sound slightly and create many unwanted mid frequencies, that will have consequencies in the whole orchesta. I know that it may seem like a good idea to have the timpani playing for 1 hour, in order to show up in the end REALLY and show everyone what it is about, but why not think of it in a different orchestrational way? Take the timpani line, and orchestrate it, with dominate instrument the timpani, or something simmilar...?

Might work, might not, I've no idea about your piece. :P

I wouldn't want to play timpani for an hour straight. I much prefer pit percussion, actually. My suggestion would be to change the instrumentation of the pulse, at least a few times throughout the piece. If you've got strings, there you go. Put it in the contrabass. Pizzicato, maybe. If 'twere me, I'd not open and close every movement but the last with the same thing. To each his own, though.

Is it there more than one percussionist? If there is it, make the other one play the timpani part while is not playing the other instruments.

Pizzicati on the contrabass is a good one also.

Other non pitched drums mixed with pitched instruments make good effects definately.

Take a look to Ravel's Bolero score, see how does he deal with snare drum and winds in the repetitive parts.

Good luck!