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

“stick and switch” passages of the bass drum. The triangle maintains its characteristic time-
keeping function from start to finish, playing in one passage for more than 42 bars in common
meter. The execution of this part may have required mounting the triangle and striking it with
two identical beaters. Musically, Mozart’s Die Entführung as dem Serail (The Abduction of
the Seraglio) represents the orchestral influence of Turkish music at its height. Mozart’s use
of Turkish percussion in this work was essential in reflecting the political hostility between
Austria and other nations in the late eighteenth century. 12 It remains in the repertory of major
opera companies throughout the world.
Figure 13. Die Entführung as dem Serail by Mozart. Reprinted from score, (Leipzig:
Ernst Eulenburg, 1900z)
12 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2 nd ed., (2001), s.v. “Janissary Music,” by Michael Pirker.
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