Cymbals

Images of musicians making resonating percussive sounds by clapping two pieces of metal together date back to the earliest phases of recorded history, and the term "cymbals" denotes both a general, worldwide instrument type and a specific Western form. The cymbals featured in the classical symphony orchestra came into Europe due to the eighteenth-century influence of the Turkish "Janissary" military bands, which also featured triangles, tympani, and other then-novel percussion instruments. The famous "Ode to Joy" finale of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 clearly demonstrates the Janissary link in a cymbal-accompanied passage that presents the movement's theme as a military-style march. Cymbals were soon adopted by Western bands themselves, and became an integral component of the jazz percussion battery. Jazz players experimented with the cymbals, producing the "hi hat" pedal mechanism, and modern classical composers have also found that the cymbals stimulated a spirit of innovation, specifying an extraordinary range of sounds for instrumentalists to produce.

Percussion Instruments