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

Figure 15 “Military” Symphony No. 100 (movement IV) by Haydn. Originally Published by
Ernst Eulenburg Ltd., London. Reprinted from score, (New York: Dover Publications, Inc.,
1985)
The absence of upward stems on the bass drum line indicates Beethoven’s apparent desire to
strike the bass drum with only a beater. As seen in Figure 16, Beethoven uses both the
percussion and brass instruments rhythmically to accompany the Arabian melody played by
the woodwinds.
In the finale of Symphony No. 9, Beethoven once again employed the homogeneous
Turkish percussion section (see Figure 17). Appearing only in movement IV, the use of
percussion to conclude the work was a part of Beethoven’s earliest sketches. 14 Written in
compound meter (6/8), the bass drum and bassoons softly accent the second strong beat of
each measure to begin the portion of the movement marked “Alla Marcia.” Clarinets and
trumpets enter the rhythmic texture before the first melodic phrase is begun in measure 343.
14 Blades, Percussion Instruments and Their History, 267.
34