Percussion

Percussion could well be mankind's first instruments all apart from the human voice. During the early Medieval era, percussion was frowned upon by the church who saw it has having associations with pagan rites. This led to the disappearance of percussion from liturgical music and hence Western art music, reappearing only during its increasing secularization in the second millenium AD. Percussion covers a wide range of instruments in the modern orchestra from the large timpani, side drum, tubular bells and xylophone to the humble triangle. Each percussion instrument has a different timbre based on the acoustical properties inherent in its structural composition. In a piece of music, percussion is used to create moments of drama and underline, at certain points, the rhythmic nature of the work. In the 20th century percussion has assumed an ever increasing prominence, featuring in works as pivotal as Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Steve Reich's Drumming.