''Eight Pieces for Four Timpani'' is a collection of short pieces by Elliott Carter for solo

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

– four drums played by one musician. Six of the pieces were composed in 1949. Two new pieces were added in 1966, and the rest were revised in collaboration with percussionist

Jan Williams Jan Williams (born Jan Gardner Williams, July 17, 1939, in Utica, New York) is a percussionist, arts administrator, teacher, conductor, and composer who has championed avant-garde and progressive music in the United States. He is recognized as a ...

. 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 In music, a glissando (; plural: ''glissandi'', abbreviated ''gliss.'') 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 co ...

s, and

sympathetic vibration Sympathetic resonance or sympathetic vibration is a harmonic phenomenon wherein a passive string or vibratory body responds to external vibrations to which it has a harmonic likeness. The classic example is demonstrated with two similarly-tuned ...

Pieces

Saeta

The "Saëta" (''arrow'') is named after a type of

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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

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shafts with

moleskin Moleskin is a heavy cotton fabric, woven and then shorn to create a short, soft pile on one side. The feel and appearance of its nap is suede-like, less plush than velour and more like felt or chamois. The word is also used for clothing made fr ...

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 drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

sticks, and uses pedal timpani to imply a continuous melodic line.

Canaries

"Canaries", a reference to the French Baroque dance, consists of contrapuntal dance rhythms played at different speeds.

March

"March" is a contrapuntal piece: one march rhythm is played with the head of one mallet, while another is played at a different speed with the back of the other mallet. It is perhaps the most-often played piece of the suite, and the only one ever specifically asked for in orchestral auditions.

References

* * * {{Authority control Compositions by Elliott Carter Compositions for timpani 1950 compositions 1966 compositions