ion Web site for a marked timpani part.

Music that gives the sense of walk-

ing can be played with two hands. Just as alternating left and right steps
are weighted differently, playing with two mallets, each penetrating the
drumhead in different degrees, can give the sense of walking. On the other
hand, there are times in which double sticking is clearly preferable to play-
ing hand-to-hand. First, double sticking faster parts tends to articulate the
parts better than playing hand-to-hand. So parts that need to be cleanly ar-
ticulated might benet from double sticking. For example, Dvork writes
nice solo gures at the beginning of the third movement of the New
World Symphony (see example 2.14).

2.14. Double sticking to improve rhythmic lines

? 3 ..
L R L L LR L L

4
f
This can be effectively sticked LRLL for left-handed or RLRR for right-
handed timpanists. This sticking articulates the eighth notes and improves
the ow of the musical line. Second, the musical line might sound better
where some phrases are double sticked. Third, if the timpanist desires
evenness of sound, playing a passage with one hand may be preferable to
playing a passage hand-to-hand. At the very beginning of Beethovens Vio-
lin Concerto, the timpani play ve solo notes. These notes are so exposed
that timpanists often play them with one hand to minimize the differences
that can arise in playing a part hand-to-hand. See the companion Web site
for a marked timpani part for Beethovens Violin Concerto.
Tonal phrasing involves shaping the tone of a phrase to support the
musical intentions of the composer. Because the timpani are capable of
producing a variety of tones, it is possible to use that capability to paint a
musical phrase in a way that is pleasing to the ear and supports the color
of the orchestra. The author has described some methods of shaping tim-
pani tone. First, the tone can move from brighter to darker. In the opening
bar of the fourth movement of Brahmss Symphony No. 1, the timpanist
executes a roll on the c drum and ends with a single stroke on the G drum.
Because this roll crescendos from piano to forte, the roll conveys a dark,
powerful meaning. By beginning the roll more brightly and progressively
getting darker, the roll adds a darker, more sinister meaning to the music.
When reaching the Gthe rst beat of the second measurethe timpanist
produces a very heavy stroke that brings out the entire lower partials of the
drum. Tonal phrasing permits darker passages to become lighter. Occa-
sionally, a roll at the end of a phrase ends one musical thought and estab-
lishes the conditions for the beginning of the next musical idea. Rather
than playing the entire roll in a dark manner, the timpanist can make the
roll progressively brighter. By starting the roll at the bottom of the head
and progressively ascending to the top, the timpanist can brighten the
sound, make it more transparent, and phrase the musical line more effec-

Musical Interpretation and the Timpanist 49