Instrumentos Musicales

Percussion instruments are amongst those musical instruments that accompany all major and philharmonic orchestras, as well as most popular folklore ensembles. Five of the best known illustrate this series of self-adhesive stamps.

The Drum is one of the most widespread instruments of all times. It is believed to come from India from where it spread to other continents and it features in Egyptian, Assyrian and Greek monuments. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead, which is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a drum stick. It has been widely used in infantry.

The Tambourine is made up of two overlapping rings fitted with rattles or bells and covered in one of its sides with a very smooth and tight skin. The sizes are varied as is the decoration of the skins. It can be played in numerous ways, from stroking or shaking the jingles to striking it sharply with the hand.

Castanets consist of a pair of concave shells joined on one edge by a string. The string is hooked over the thumb and the castanets rest on the palm with the fingers bent over to support the other side and make them click. The origins go back to prehistoric times. Spain is the country where they have evolved into a national instrument and they are used in Spanish dance, folklore and jotas and there are even famous castanet concert players internationally renowned.

Cymbals consist of thin, normally round metal plates with a hole in the middle to pass the straps or secure it on a stand. They can be clash cymbals or suspended cymbals within an instrumental drum set. They are typical of Turkish folklore and were introduced in modern orchestra by musicians such as Wagner and Berlioz offering new sound effects. In contemporary music, cymbals are part of drum sets and are used in many ensembles raging from jazz, rock and salsa.

The Timpani or kettledrums consist of a skin called a head, stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. The skin is then held by means of a number of tuning screws called tension rods placed regularly around the circumference. It’s been used since ancient times for military purposes and was widely used by the French, German and Russian cavalry. In the 17th century it began to be played in orchestras although the major change took place in the 19th century with Beethoven, who recognized its distinctive musicality. In the 1960s it became part of modern music.