THE ROLE OF TURKISH PERCUSSION IN THE HISTORY AND ...

Figure 5. Triangle similar to one used in the Turkish percussion section. Reprinted from
James Blades and Jeremy Montagu, Early Percussion Instruments From the Middle Ages to
the Baroque (London: Oxford University Press, 1976), 11
Also, the triangle could have an open or closed end. A triangle with no opening between two
of its sides produced a definite pitch, distinguishing its sound from the indefinite pitch of
today’s accepted open-ended model. Unlike the sistrum, whose sound was generated by
vigorously shaking its handle, sound from the triangle required striking one of its sides with a
thin rod made of steel, iron, brass, or wood. Though some pictorial accounts show the top
angle of the triangle’s steel bar twisted into a loop through which the thumb of the performer
passes, the triangle is most often suspended by wire or string connected to the underside of the
instrument’s top angle. Triangles are historically shown in various sizes, with some as large
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