ABSTRACT
Every drum set and orchestral percussion membranophone recorded before the invention of plastic heads around 1957 (and for many years aer) carried the unmistakable skin-head sound that many artists still prefer today. Gerry Carlyss, professor of percussion at Indiana University, who played calfskin heads as timpanist in the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1967 to 1987, remarked that “young players would hear him play and they would say, ‘Wow, where can I get some of that stu?’ yet they had no idea what goes into playing skin.”2 Carlyss played calf
heads, much to his own preference, at the request of Maestro Ricardo Muti, who insisted “at all costs” that Carlyss play calfskin. Don Liuzzi, timpanist with the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1988, along with many other of the nest professional timpanists-such as Tele Lesbines with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra from 1969 to 1999, Salvatore Rabbio with the Detroit Symphony from 1958 to 1998, Paul Yancich with the Cleveland Orchestra since 1981 and with the Atlanta Symphony from 1975 to 1981, and Paul’s brother Mark Yancich with the Atlanta Symphony since 1981-have recorded on major labels playing calfskin heads even though they played both calfskin and plastic. ey, like their predecessors, including Fred Hinger in Philadelphia and Cloyd Du in Cleveland-the legacies go on and on-and many other professional percussionists around the world (who used skin heads on bass drums, snare drums, etc.), simply preferred the warm sound and musical capabilities of expression achievable with animal-skin heads. In the Vienna Philharmonic, Richard Hochrainer played goatskin timpani heads for thirty years, from 1940 to 1970, as did his colleague Horst Berger from 1957 to 1995. eir successors, Wolfgang Schuster, Roland Altmann, and Bruno Hartel, have continued the tradition of playing goatskin heads with the Vienna Phil, just as Michael Vladar has done with the Vienna Symphony since 1990. Most of the timpanists in orchestras throughout the world have revealed a preference for goat-or calfskin heads, long aer the invention of plastic heads. For an interesting look at some of these legacies, especially in Europe and North America, and other fascinating links, see the website “Tribute to Famous Timpanists” (https://
jetottenhof.chez.tiscali.fr/tribute.html) on the web page of Jean-Etienne Ottenhof in France.
