Three Etudes for Five Tympani Op. 10

Alternate Title

Three Etudes for Five Timpani

General Info

Year: 1975
Duration: c.
Difficulty: VI (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Studio 4
Cost: Score and Parts - $0.00 | Score Only - $0.00

Movements

I. Allegro – moto Perpetuo
II. Adagio lamentoso
III. Rondo brilliant – la chasse

Instrumentation

Timpani (5)

Program Notes

Raymond Helble began his composing at the age of ten and conducting at twelve. He was accepted at Julliard, The Manhattan School of Music, and the Eastman School of Music, although he was self-taught in composition and never had a private music lesson. He completed his graduate and undergraduate studies at Eastman School of Music. His teachers included Samuel Adler, Warren Benson, and Joseph Schwantner. His music is recognized for its technical excellence, distinctive motivic material, contrapuntal dexterity, and highly polished finish, whether he writes in atonal, modal, or serial manner. Three Etudes for Five Timpani is comprised of three movements that greatly contrast from one another. The first movement, Allegro-Moto Perpetuo, contains a sixteenth note motive in the top three drums, while the melody carries in the lower register. This motive is later transposed to the middle three drums while the melody is boldly stated between the highest and lowest drums. Concluding the first movement, the Moto-Perpetuo and the melody engage together, creating a vicious ending. The second movement Adagio lamentoso, is a song of mourning which has mysterious and somewhat eerie elements of surprise. The melody is stated in the opening measures followed by frequent glissandos that create a dark ambiance and then returns to the opening melody with underlying remnants of the shadowy middle section intertwined. The final movement, Rondo brilliant-la chasse, (the chase), is very energetic. This movement has very difficult passages that require playing fast 16th note melodic lines while tuning two drums simultaneously. Try and listen for the reoccurring melody since the piece is in Rondo form with contrasting sections in between.

-Notes compiled by Dave Constantine and Karsten Burns

Each movement of Three Etudes for Five Timpani represents a distinguishing characteristic described in the title. Allegro-moto perpetuo employs the use of a constant recurring motive in the top three drums, with a melody running through the lower register. As the piece continues the motive moves lower and the melody moves to the outer registers, before they meld together for the calamitous ending. The second movement, Adagio lamentoso, is constructed into a mysterious and eerie piece. The player is frequently using glissandos to move the melody along, evoking a transcendental mood. The movement is an excellent contrast from the outer movements. The final movement, Rondo brilliant-la chasse (“the Chase”), is an exciting blend of ideas from the first two movements. The rhythmic complexity of movement one is coupled with the complex tuning changes in the second movement. The chase, in rondo form, has a motive that keeps coming back throughout the movement, mixed with contrasting interjections. Like the first movement, the third ends with a collision of the two ideas. - Elizabeth Kosko

A true display of how what orchestral timpani can do, Three Movements captures all the inner workings of what an orchestral timpanist may have to perform in the concert hall with an ensemble. The first movement moto perpetuo, is a flashy, fast piece, showcasing the ability to perform intricate rhythms as well as executing an accompaniment vs. melodic element in the hands. Changing moods, the second movement is a slow lament, with melodic lines moving all throughout the timpani, utilizing the foot pedal to change the pitch for almost every note in the movement. The third movement, is a fast chase-like piece in rondo form, taking into it elements of both the first and second movements. This movement uses the opening theme as its catalyst for the entire movement. Using fast accompaniment vs. melodic passages, as well as incorporating the use of the foot pedal, often changing the entire key signature of the piece. The final movement culminates in a spectacular, if not brutal finish as each drum is represented with a strong final roll. - Trevor Landreth

Review

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Online Recordings

Recent Performances

Trevor Landreth - Senior Recital 5/13/2016 - Emporia State University
Elizabeth Kosko - Junior Recital 5/8/2010 - Emporia State University
Karsten Burns - Junior Recital May, 2009 - Emporia State University
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