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

CHAPTER 1
DESCRIPTION AND INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY
Importance of the Study
Of all the musical instruments in the standard symphony orchestra, it is
those of the percussion section which, by comparison with the others, have
been constantly neglected and mistreated by composers and arrangers alike. 1
This study is intended to assist the symphonic percussionist and the conductor in
understanding the history and use of percussion instruments, which led to their entry into the
late eighteenth-century and early nineteenth-century orchestra. The result offers a concise
source of information concerning not only a description of Turkish percussion instruments
and their performance, but also the rise and development of these instruments in the orchestra
which provided the foundation for the modern expanded orchestral percussion section.
Objectives of the Study
There are three fundamental objectives of this monograph:
1. To investigate the manner through which composers first utilized Turkish percussion
(excluding kettledrums) in the orchestra.
2. To examine the subsequent history of these instruments and the manner in which
composers utilized them, leading to their recognition as musical instruments in their
own right.
3. To provide a resource for both performers and conductors who seek to recreate
authentic performances of music from that era.
These objectives were realized through the following chapter outline:
Chapter I. Description and Introduction of the Study
1
Edgar B. Gangware, The History and Use of Percussion Instruments in Orchestration, diss. (Evanston:
Northwestern University, 1962), ii.
1