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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
timpani
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Bowed long notes make good additions to organ pedal parts or timpani rolls.
▪ Some drummers have one or two pedal timpani, others have all three of the mechanical variety.
▪ Special effects can be obtained by strokes or rolls on a suspended cymbal, executed with timpani or side-drum sticks.
▪ The timpani, tuned to A and E, can play throughout.
▪ The combination of timpani and organ greatly enhances spacious, majestic music.
▪ The Philharmonia plays magnificently - especially the brass and timpani - and the recording is excellent.
▪ While the woodwind and low strings were reasonably well replicated, the violins, timpani and brass left much to be desired.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Timpani

Timpano \Tim"pa*no\, n.; pl. Timpani. [It.] (Mus.) See Tympano.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
timpani

1876, plural of timpano (1740), from Italian timpani "drums," from Latin tympanum "drum" (see tympanum). Related: Timpanist.

Wiktionary
timpani

n. (context plurale tantum musical instruments English) The set of precision kettledrums in an orchestra.

WordNet
timpani

n. a large hemispherical brass or copper percussion instrument with a drumhead that can be tuned by adjusting the tension on it [syn: kettle, kettledrum, tympanum, tympani]

Wikipedia
Timpani

Timpani (; ), or kettledrums (also informally called timps), are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet. Timpani evolved from military drums to become a staple of the classical orchestra by the last third of the 18th century. Today, they are used in many types of musical ensembles, including concert bands, marching bands, orchestras, and even in some rock.

Timpani is an Italian plural, the singular of which is timpano. However, in informal English speech a single instrument is rarely called a timpano: several are more typically referred to collectively as kettledrums, timpani, temple drums, timpano, timp-toms, or simply timps. They are also often incorrectly termed timpanis. A musician who plays the timpani is a timpanist.

Usage examples of "timpani".

Far more people had fussed over Christine than around the prima donna, despite the fact that Dame Timpani had come around and fainted again quite pointedly several times and had eventually been forced to go for hysterics.

His heart was pounding like a timpani, but he managed to keep his voice steady.

With it came the delicate percussion of rainfall, the timpani of distant lightning.

He listened so hard that it seemed his blood roared and his heart beat like a timpani, but even over those distractions he could still make out the sound of footsteps.

Muffled timpani measured the intruder’s cat tread across the hall as Dane stepped down to meet him.