The triangle is a
musical instrument in the
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...
family, and is classified as an
idiophone in the
Hornbostel-Sachs classification system. Triangles are made from a variety of
metals including aluminum,
beryllium copper, brass, bronze, iron, and
steel. The metal is formed into a
triangle
A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC.
In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...
shape by bending or casting methods. The instrument is usually held by a loop of some form of thread or wire at the top curve. The triangle theoretically has indefinite pitch, and produces a plurality of overtones when struck with an appropriate beater.
History
Iconography is the primary source for knowledge of the history of the triangle, and provides insight into the musical and social context in which the instrument developed.
Some scholars believe the triangle to be a direct descendant of the ancient Egyptian
sistrum. Others do not go quite so far, referring to the triangle as being "allied" with the sistrum throughout history, but not a direct descendant.
It is thought that if the triangle ''were'' a direct descendant, somewhere in history one would expect to find a direct connection between the sistrum and the modern triangle—a “missing link” showing the sistrum's evolution into the triangle. However, a direct connection is not known.
Like the sistrum, the triangle, as seen in iconography, has its origins in religious settings.
To this day, the triangle is used as a liturgical instrument in the rites of the
Coptic Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...
based in Egypt and the
Syro-Malabar Church
lat, Ecclesia Syrorum-Malabarensium mal, മലബാറിലെ സുറിയാനി സഭ
, native_name_lang=, image = St. Thomas' Cross (Chennai, St. Thomas Mount).jpg
, caption = The Mar Thoma Nasrani Sl ...
based in Kerala, India.
For decades it was thought that the first iconographic witness of a triangle came from a 9th Century manuscript held at
Emmeram of Regensburg through longstanding writings by
James Blades and others; recent scholarship does not share this view.
In the 14th Century, early depictions of the triangle emerge out of Western
Christian iconography
Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...
.
From that time forward, the triangle is seen in iconography through the centuries, in a variety of sizes, and sometimes having jingling rings hanging from its rungs.
Triangles are depicted as having an open corner with the ends not touching, and also as having with fully closed corners; the sides are sometimes slightly curved.
Interestingly, triangles are also seen in shapes that are not quite triangular, such as trapezoids and stirrup shapes.
The first known use of the ''written'' term “triangle” occurs in an inventory list of the musical instruments owned by the kapelle in
Wurttemberg, Germany. The list was compiled by
Balduin Hoyoul in 1589, over two hundred years after the iconographic emergence of the triangle in the fourteenth century.
Around the eighteenth century, the use of the triangle began to expand, its sound started to bring about new musical connotations and associations. Influenced by ambassadorship, diplomacy, “''
Turquerie
Turquerie (anglicized as "Turkery"), "Turquoiserie" was the Turkish fashion in Western Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries for imitating aspects of Ottoman art and culture. Many different Western European countries were fascinated by the exo ...
''” and the new sounds of their own military bands, European operatic and orchestral composers began to incorporate the triangle as a means of ''emulating'' the sounds of the ''
mehterân'' -- the metallic sounds of the ''
zil
OJSC AMO ZiL, known fully as the Public Joint-Stock Company – Likhachov Plant () and more commonly called ZiL (, was a major Russian automobile, truck, military vehicle, and heavy equipment manufacturer that was based in Moscow, Russia.
The la ...
'' and ''
cevgen'', combined with the rhythmic pulse of the ''
kös'', ''
davul'', and ''
nakkare''.
The early use of the triangle in an operatic/orchestral setting was often not notated, and simply performed by ear.
When a triangle part ''was'' notated, it was almost always in steady, repetitive eighth or sixteenth notes.
The triangle was the ''available'' instrument in Europe for composers to write rhythmically, and with a metallic color.
However, the triangle was ''not'' used in functional ''mehter'' music, nor was it used by
Janissaries or ''mehteran'' while providing music for battle.
In the early nineteenth century,
Romantic-era composers began to seek new colors, and explored the sustaining qualities of the triangle.
[Beck, J. H. (2013). Encyclopedia of Percussion. United States: Taylor & Francis. (pg. 397)] Preference was given towards a long, sustaining sound that only triangles ''without'' rings could provide.
Thus, the jingling rings associated with the triangle for five centuries prior, fell out of use.
Shaping and manufacturing
The modern triangle is shaped as its
namesake though one of the angles is left open, with the ends of the bar not quite touching. This opening is used to keep the instrument from having a definite
pitch, creating many rich
overtones
An overtone is any resonant frequency above the fundamental frequency of a sound. (An overtone may or may not be a harmonic) In other words, overtones are all pitches higher than the lowest pitch within an individual sound; the fundamental i ...
. It is either suspended from one of the other corners by a piece of, most commonly,
nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic.
Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...
fishing line
A fishing line is a flexible, high-tensile cord used in angling to tether and pull in fish, in conjunction with at least one hook. Fishing lines are usually pulled by and stored in a reel, but can also be retrieved by hand, with a fixed attach ...
, leaving it free to vibrate. Early examples of triangles include ornamental work at the open end, often in a scroll pattern.
In modern times, the scroll pattern has been abandoned and triangles are made from either steel or brass.
Technique
The triangle is often the subject of
joke
A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laughter, laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with ...
s and
one-liners, as an archetypal instrument that seemingly has no musical function and requires no skill to play (the
Martin Short character
Ed Grimley is an example). However, triangle parts in classical music can be very demanding, and
James Blades in the ''
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' writes that "the triangle is by no means a simple instrument to play".
The triangle is typically suspended from a triangle clip that suspends the triangle so that it is free to vibrate. When the instrument is played with one beater, the hand that holds the triangle clip can also be used to damp or slightly modify the sound. The triangle is usually struck with a metal beater, giving a high-pitched, ringing tone. For complex, rapid rhythms, the instrument may be suspended from a stand using two clips, and played with two beaters, although this makes it more difficult to control. Most difficulties in playing the triangle come from the complex rhythms which are sometimes written for it, and it can also be quite difficult to control the level of volume. Very quiet notes can be obtained by using a much lighter beater; knitting needles are sometimes used as well. Composers sometimes call for wooden beaters to be used instead of a metal one, producing a unique tone.
A triangle roll, similar to a
snare roll, is notated with three lines through the stem of the note. It requires the player to quickly move the beater back and forth in either the upper or lower corner, moving the beater quickly between the two sides.
Musical styles
Classical music
In
European classical music, the triangle has been used in the western classical
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
since around the middle of the 18th century.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
,
Joseph Haydn and
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
all used it, though sparingly, usually in imitation of
Janissary
A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan ...
bands.
The earliest writing for the triangle is found in
Cristoph Willibald Gluck’s operas ''
La Cythère Assiégée'' (1759)
'','' The first piece to use the triangle prominently was
Franz Liszt's
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E♭ major, where it is used as a solo instrument in the third movement, giving this concerto the nickname of "triangle concerto". In
Romantic era music
Romantic music is a stylistic movement in Western Classical music associated with the period of the 19th century commonly referred to as the Romantic era (or Romantic period). It is closely related to the broader concept of Romanticism—th ...
, the triangle was used in some music by
Richard Wagner, such as the "
Bridal Chorus
The "Bridal Chorus" () from the 1850 opera '' Lohengrin'' by German composer Richard Wagner, who also wrote the libretto, is a march played for the bride's entrance at many formal weddings throughout the Western world. In English-speaking countries ...
" from ''
Lohengrin
Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wolf ...
''.
Johannes Brahms uses the triangle to a particular effect in the third movement of his
Fourth Symphony, the only appearance of non-timpani percussion in a Brahms symphony. Solo and chamber works that feature triangles have been written by composers John Adams, Mark Berry,
Peter Jarvis, Alvin Lucier, and others.
Folk and popular music
In
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
,
forró,
Cajun music
Cajun music (french: Musique cadienne), an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem ...
and
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
a triangle is often held directly in the hand so that one side can be damped by the fingers to vary the tone. The sound can also be changed slightly by varying the area struck, and by subtle damping.
The triangle (known in
Cajun French
Louisiana French ( frc, français de la Louisiane; lou, françé la lwizyàn) is an umbrella term for the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louis ...
as a ‘tit-fer, from ''petit fer'', "little iron") is popular in
Cajun music
Cajun music (french: Musique cadienne), an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem ...
where it serves as the strong beat, especially if no drums are present.
In the Brazilian music style
Forró it is used together with the
zabumba (a larger drum) and an
accordion. It forms together with the
zabumba the rhythmic section. It provides usually an ongoing pulse, damping the tone on the first second and fourth while opening the hand on the third beat to let most frequencies sound. It can be used extensively for breaks, to improvise, and to vary the rhythm.
References
{{Authority control
Stick percussion idiophones
Orchestral percussion
Cajun musical instruments
Percussion instruments played with specialised beaters
Unpitched percussion instruments
Early musical instruments
Hand percussion