Start
Illustrations : Geneviève L'Heureux
Conception : Hélène Claise
The artists
The repertoire
Percussion Instruments
Activities
The artists
Manal Drissi Host
Adam Johnson Guest Conductor
TorQ Percussion Quartet
How do they work?
Around the world
Percussions
In a symphony orchestra
Unusual percussion instruments
Test your knowledge
Build your own percussion instrument
Activities
Draw with your ears
Practice for the concert
Adam Johnson earned a doctorate in performance (piano) from the Université de Montréal and a diploma in orchestral conducting from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. After three seasons with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, serving as Conductor-in-Residence and then Associate Conductor, he went on, from 2016 to 2019, to occupy the position of Assistant Conductor and later Conductor-in-Residence with the OSM. In 2015, Adam Johnson received the Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestra Conducting conferred by the Canada Council for the Arts. He has appeared as a guest conductor with the Québec, Trois-Rivières, Edmonton, Calgary, Thunder Bay and Saskatoon symphony orchestras, and with Symphony Nova Scotia.
Adam Johnson
What is the conductor's role?
Guest Conductor
Moroccan-born Montrealer Manal Drissi studied Communications at the University of Ottawa before embarking on a career as a freelance columnist and subsequently forging a path to radio and television. Since 2015, she has created a prominent place for her work, both on the web and in traditional media, writing on various societal and timely issues. Her commentary can be heard or read on Plus on est de fous plus, plus on lit, Gravel le matin, La soirée est (encore) jeune, and in Journal Métro, Châtelaine, and La Presse. Manal Drissi is currently in the process of writing a television series.
Manal Drissi
Host
TorQ Percussion Quartet is Canada’s premiere percussion ensemble. Since being founded in 2004, TorQ has brought new vitality to the percussion repertoire through its engaging and accessible performances. The group’s four members, all graduates of the University of Toronto, are committed to sharing their passion with audiences of all ages while exploring exciting and varied repertoire.
TorQ Percussion Quartet
Richard Burrows
Adam Campbell
Jamie Drake
Daniel Morphy
Did you know ?
Quartet
The composers and their works
Dmitri Chostakovitch
Bedřich Smetana
Jazz Suite no. 2 : « Waltz no. 2 »
Mà Vlast: « The Moldau »
Leonard Bernstein
Johannes Brahms
West Side Story, « Mambo »
Hungarian Dance n0.5
The composers and their works
Ed Argenziano
Monica Pearce
Stinkin’ Garbage
whirly
Ken Shorley,
Arturo Márquez
The Bright Side
Danzón no. 2
Mà Vlast: « The Moldau »
The Moldau composed in 1874, belongs to a cycle of six symphonic poems called Má Vlast (My Country). This well-known piece is a musical description of a river that runs through Czechia: the Moldau.
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884), Czechia A proud representative of Czech nationalist music in the 19th century, Smetana was one of the first composers to draw on folk music of his country: the Czech Republic.
Hungarian Dance no. 5
In this work, Brahms alternates between parts that are slow and melancholic, and parts that are fast and upbeat. He plays with the variables of sound. These invisible elements of music include:
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Germany Besides being a great composer of the Romantic era, Brahms was also an extraordinary pianist. While he wrote many works for piano, he also composed for chamber music ensembles and for the symphony orchestra. Brahms composed his 21 Hungarian Dances based on folk and traditional melodies. The 5th of these is the most famous one.
Dynamics
Tempo
Pitch
Timbre
Waltz no. 2
The Waltz no. 2 is one of Shostakovich’s best-known works. The word “waltz” comes from the German word “Walzer,” which means to “spin around.” The music for this dance is written in triple metre: one strong beat and two weaker beats. Listen to the brass instruments as they hold up the strong beats to guide the dancers’ steps.
Dmitri Chostakovitch (1906-1975), Russia Shostakovich was a Russian pianist and composer. He lived through the Second World War and the Cold War between the USSR and the United States. A strong advocate for peace, in 1953, he was awarded the International Peace Prize. This prize is given to artists who contribute to world peace through their works.
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), United States Pianist, conductor, teacher, and composer Leonard Bernstein wrote West Side Story in 1957. This famous musical tells the story of two young lovers from rival street gangs in New York City, and at the dance where they meet for the first time, they hear a feverish mambo. The mambo is a dance of Cuban origin, in 4/4 time, in which the dancers’ steps are mirror images of each other. From time to time throughout this piece, Bernstein has the whole orchestra shout “Mambo!” (a word that originally meant “voices in chorus”).
West Side Story, « Mambo »
Arturo Márquez (Born in 1950), Mexico Arturo Márquez was the son and grandson of traditional Mexican musicians, and was exposed to different musical styles at a very young age. Of the many Latin dances that profoundly affected him in his youth, it was the danzón – from Cuba originally, but also very present in the Veracruz region of Mexico – that compelled him to compose the Danzones suite. The second movement, Danzón no. 2, has been so successful since its 1994 premiere that it has become known as the “second national anthem of Mexico.”
Danzón no. 2
Ed Argenziano (Born in 1958), United States American composer and percussionist Ed Argenziano was director of music at a New Jersey high school for 32 years. He has composed and arranged multiple pieces for percussion.
Stinkin’ Garbage was composed for six… garbage cans! Inspired by street musicians in the big city, Ed Argenziano uses this piece to explore the metallic sounds of these everyday “percussion instruments.” The result is incredibly catchy!
Ken Shorley, (Born in 1969), Canada Ken Shorley is a versatile percussionist and
composer who juggles many different styles and
sources of inspiration. He has a special interest in
music from South India, Indonesia, the Arab world,
and Turkey, as well as in Western classical music. The Bright Side – written for TorQ in 2009 –
features four percussion instruments from around
the world:
The caxixi
The riqq
The cajón
The darbuka
whirly
Commissioned by the TorQ Percussion Quartet, whirly is scored for plastic tubes known as “whirly tubes”. These produce sound when they are spun around in the air. Players can change the pitch by spinning the tubes faster or slower. This whirling work was performed in front of an audience for the very first time at the Maison symphonique de Montréal! Watch this video to hear what a “whirly tube” sounds like.
Monica Pearce (Born in 1984), Canada Canadian composer Monica Pearce has a
particular affinity for solo and chamber music,
opera, and musical theatre. She co-founded Toy
Piano Composers, a Toronto-based emerging
composer collective that presents imaginative
new music to curious audiences. With works for
toy piano, tabla, bicycle bells, and a “pocket
opera” for the Bicycle Opera Project, Monica
Pearce never ceases to surprise.
How do they work?
Percussion instruments take many forms. They can be made from metal or wood, or from a piece of animal skin—called a “membrane”—stretched over a frame. They are divided into two main categories, membranophones and idiophones, depending on how they are made to vibrate :
Idiophones
Membranophones
Percussion around the world
Humans have always used rhythm as a means of communication and
expression, whether by making a membrane vibrate, hitting a piece
of wood, or simply clapping. Percussion instruments are thus the oldest instruments in human history, and the ones found in symphony orchestras come from many places, such as Turkey (the timpani), Spain (castanets),
and China (the tam-tam or Chinese gong).
Percussion instruments exist in every culture, but they play different
roles in different places. They can accompany rites of passage, official ceremonies, or even military battles, as well as traditional dances: this is illustrated by Bernstein’s Mambo and Arturo Márquez’s Danzón no. 2.
Orchestral percussion instruments
Did you know ?
The percussion family is the most resonant family of instruments in the orchestra. This is why percussion instruments are placed at the back of the orchestra. This family of instruments can be divided into two broad categories:
Pitched percussion instruments
Unpitched percussion instruments
Click on the instruments to learn more about them
Pitched Percussion Instruments
We recognize these types of percussion instruments by paying attention to the sound they produce! In fact, you will notice that the timpani, the glockenspiel, the celesta and the marimba, all pitched percussion instruments, play real notes that could also be played on the piano. These instruments are often used for playing melodies.
You will hear the marimba in this excerpt, an instrument originally from Africa, made of 50 wooden tone bars!
Unpitched Percussion Instruments
Snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, tambourine, triangle: What do all these instruments have in common? They are all unpitched percussion instruments! Unpitched sounds are sounds that do not represent specific notes and cannot be reproduced on the piano, like the sound of snapping your fingers, for example. These percussion instruments are often used to produce rhythms!
Unusual percussion instruments
The basic definition of a percussion
instrument is “any instrument that is struck
in order to produce sound.” This means
that almost anything can become one! You
can turn pots, bottles, boxes, garbage cans,
and even your own body into a percussion
instrument!
Build your own percussion instrument
You can build your own percussion instrument using everyday objects.
Did you know ?
Build maracas
Build a drum
Build your own percussion instrument
Build your own idiophone
Maracas
You will need:
- an empty water bottle - rice/dry legumes/pasta - Scissors, paint, stickers, etc. Take the water bottle and fill it with the rice, the dry legumes (such as lentils), or the pasta, and give it a shake. Decorate it to your liking. Your maracas are finished!
Build your own percussion instrument
Build your own membranophone
Drum
You will need:
- an empty tin can (make sure the edges are not sharp) - a birthday balloon
- a rubber band- Scissors, paint, stickers, etc. Cut off the bottom of the balloon, then cover the opening of the tin can with the rest of the balloon. It should be stretched tight and smooth. To make sure it stays on the can, add a
rubber band. Now you can play your drum with a mini drumstick (an unsharpened pencil, a small glue stick, and so on)!
Draw with your ears!
Listen to Arturo Márquez’s Danzón no. 2.
What
percussion instruments do you hear? What do you think of when you hear them? Is the rhythm always slow, or always fast? Draw a picture of what you imagine when you listen to this piece.
Practice for the concert
Follow TorQ's instructions to learn the basics of body percussion.
True or false?
The percussion family is the most resonant family of instruments in the orchestra.
False
True
True or false?
Percussion instruments are always “struck” to produce sound.
False
True
True or false?
All percussion instruments can be used to play melodies.
False
True
Click on the instrument you hear:
The Triangle
The claves
The tambourine
Click on the instrument you hear:
The claves
The darbouka
Themarimba
Click on the method of playing for this instrument
Hit
Shaken
Brushed
The timpani
Click on the method of playing for this instrument
Hit
Shaken
Brushed
Le piano
Spot the outlier :
which of these percussion instruments is not an idiophone?
The marimba
The claves
The darbouka
Spot the outlier:
which of these percussion instruments is not a membranophone?
The timpani
The tambourine
The triangle
Who am I?
Drag the cursor to uncover a hint
Hint 2
Hint 1
Solve
Hint 4
Hint 3
Who am I?
I belong to the percussion family, more specifically, to the category of idiophones.
I produce sounds like little bells.
My keyboard resembles a piano’s.
I can be heard in The Nutcracker ballet.
click on the lock write your answer
answer
I am...
Who am I?
Drag the cursor to uncover a hint.
Hint 2
Hint 1
Solve
Hint 4
Hint 3
My name denotes a percussion instrument that is struck.
My name denotes a percussion instrument comprising two identical pieces.
My name denotes a percussion instrument made of wood.
Je désigne également un rythme utilisé dans des danses latines.
Who am I?
click on the lock write your answer
ANSWER
I am...
Together on the beat
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Transcript
Start
Illustrations : Geneviève L'Heureux
Conception : Hélène Claise
The artists
The repertoire
Percussion Instruments
Activities
The artists
Manal Drissi Host
Adam Johnson Guest Conductor
TorQ Percussion Quartet
How do they work?
Around the world
Percussions
In a symphony orchestra
Unusual percussion instruments
Test your knowledge
Build your own percussion instrument
Activities
Draw with your ears
Practice for the concert
Adam Johnson earned a doctorate in performance (piano) from the Université de Montréal and a diploma in orchestral conducting from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. After three seasons with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, serving as Conductor-in-Residence and then Associate Conductor, he went on, from 2016 to 2019, to occupy the position of Assistant Conductor and later Conductor-in-Residence with the OSM. In 2015, Adam Johnson received the Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestra Conducting conferred by the Canada Council for the Arts. He has appeared as a guest conductor with the Québec, Trois-Rivières, Edmonton, Calgary, Thunder Bay and Saskatoon symphony orchestras, and with Symphony Nova Scotia.
Adam Johnson
What is the conductor's role?
Guest Conductor
Moroccan-born Montrealer Manal Drissi studied Communications at the University of Ottawa before embarking on a career as a freelance columnist and subsequently forging a path to radio and television. Since 2015, she has created a prominent place for her work, both on the web and in traditional media, writing on various societal and timely issues. Her commentary can be heard or read on Plus on est de fous plus, plus on lit, Gravel le matin, La soirée est (encore) jeune, and in Journal Métro, Châtelaine, and La Presse. Manal Drissi is currently in the process of writing a television series.
Manal Drissi
Host
TorQ Percussion Quartet is Canada’s premiere percussion ensemble. Since being founded in 2004, TorQ has brought new vitality to the percussion repertoire through its engaging and accessible performances. The group’s four members, all graduates of the University of Toronto, are committed to sharing their passion with audiences of all ages while exploring exciting and varied repertoire.
TorQ Percussion Quartet
Richard Burrows
Adam Campbell
Jamie Drake
Daniel Morphy
Did you know ?
Quartet
The composers and their works
Dmitri Chostakovitch
Bedřich Smetana
Jazz Suite no. 2 : « Waltz no. 2 »
Mà Vlast: « The Moldau »
Leonard Bernstein
Johannes Brahms
West Side Story, « Mambo »
Hungarian Dance n0.5
The composers and their works
Ed Argenziano
Monica Pearce
Stinkin’ Garbage
whirly
Ken Shorley,
Arturo Márquez
The Bright Side
Danzón no. 2
Mà Vlast: « The Moldau »
The Moldau composed in 1874, belongs to a cycle of six symphonic poems called Má Vlast (My Country). This well-known piece is a musical description of a river that runs through Czechia: the Moldau.
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884), Czechia A proud representative of Czech nationalist music in the 19th century, Smetana was one of the first composers to draw on folk music of his country: the Czech Republic.
Hungarian Dance no. 5
In this work, Brahms alternates between parts that are slow and melancholic, and parts that are fast and upbeat. He plays with the variables of sound. These invisible elements of music include:
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Germany Besides being a great composer of the Romantic era, Brahms was also an extraordinary pianist. While he wrote many works for piano, he also composed for chamber music ensembles and for the symphony orchestra. Brahms composed his 21 Hungarian Dances based on folk and traditional melodies. The 5th of these is the most famous one.
Dynamics
Tempo
Pitch
Timbre
Waltz no. 2
The Waltz no. 2 is one of Shostakovich’s best-known works. The word “waltz” comes from the German word “Walzer,” which means to “spin around.” The music for this dance is written in triple metre: one strong beat and two weaker beats. Listen to the brass instruments as they hold up the strong beats to guide the dancers’ steps.
Dmitri Chostakovitch (1906-1975), Russia Shostakovich was a Russian pianist and composer. He lived through the Second World War and the Cold War between the USSR and the United States. A strong advocate for peace, in 1953, he was awarded the International Peace Prize. This prize is given to artists who contribute to world peace through their works.
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), United States Pianist, conductor, teacher, and composer Leonard Bernstein wrote West Side Story in 1957. This famous musical tells the story of two young lovers from rival street gangs in New York City, and at the dance where they meet for the first time, they hear a feverish mambo. The mambo is a dance of Cuban origin, in 4/4 time, in which the dancers’ steps are mirror images of each other. From time to time throughout this piece, Bernstein has the whole orchestra shout “Mambo!” (a word that originally meant “voices in chorus”).
West Side Story, « Mambo »
Arturo Márquez (Born in 1950), Mexico Arturo Márquez was the son and grandson of traditional Mexican musicians, and was exposed to different musical styles at a very young age. Of the many Latin dances that profoundly affected him in his youth, it was the danzón – from Cuba originally, but also very present in the Veracruz region of Mexico – that compelled him to compose the Danzones suite. The second movement, Danzón no. 2, has been so successful since its 1994 premiere that it has become known as the “second national anthem of Mexico.”
Danzón no. 2
Ed Argenziano (Born in 1958), United States American composer and percussionist Ed Argenziano was director of music at a New Jersey high school for 32 years. He has composed and arranged multiple pieces for percussion. Stinkin’ Garbage was composed for six… garbage cans! Inspired by street musicians in the big city, Ed Argenziano uses this piece to explore the metallic sounds of these everyday “percussion instruments.” The result is incredibly catchy!
Ken Shorley, (Born in 1969), Canada Ken Shorley is a versatile percussionist and composer who juggles many different styles and sources of inspiration. He has a special interest in music from South India, Indonesia, the Arab world, and Turkey, as well as in Western classical music. The Bright Side – written for TorQ in 2009 – features four percussion instruments from around the world:
The caxixi
The riqq
The cajón
The darbuka
whirly
Commissioned by the TorQ Percussion Quartet, whirly is scored for plastic tubes known as “whirly tubes”. These produce sound when they are spun around in the air. Players can change the pitch by spinning the tubes faster or slower. This whirling work was performed in front of an audience for the very first time at the Maison symphonique de Montréal! Watch this video to hear what a “whirly tube” sounds like.
Monica Pearce (Born in 1984), Canada Canadian composer Monica Pearce has a particular affinity for solo and chamber music, opera, and musical theatre. She co-founded Toy Piano Composers, a Toronto-based emerging composer collective that presents imaginative new music to curious audiences. With works for toy piano, tabla, bicycle bells, and a “pocket opera” for the Bicycle Opera Project, Monica Pearce never ceases to surprise.
How do they work?
Percussion instruments take many forms. They can be made from metal or wood, or from a piece of animal skin—called a “membrane”—stretched over a frame. They are divided into two main categories, membranophones and idiophones, depending on how they are made to vibrate :
Idiophones
Membranophones
Percussion around the world
Humans have always used rhythm as a means of communication and expression, whether by making a membrane vibrate, hitting a piece of wood, or simply clapping. Percussion instruments are thus the oldest instruments in human history, and the ones found in symphony orchestras come from many places, such as Turkey (the timpani), Spain (castanets), and China (the tam-tam or Chinese gong). Percussion instruments exist in every culture, but they play different roles in different places. They can accompany rites of passage, official ceremonies, or even military battles, as well as traditional dances: this is illustrated by Bernstein’s Mambo and Arturo Márquez’s Danzón no. 2.
Orchestral percussion instruments
Did you know ?
The percussion family is the most resonant family of instruments in the orchestra. This is why percussion instruments are placed at the back of the orchestra. This family of instruments can be divided into two broad categories:
Pitched percussion instruments
Unpitched percussion instruments
Click on the instruments to learn more about them
Pitched Percussion Instruments
We recognize these types of percussion instruments by paying attention to the sound they produce! In fact, you will notice that the timpani, the glockenspiel, the celesta and the marimba, all pitched percussion instruments, play real notes that could also be played on the piano. These instruments are often used for playing melodies.
You will hear the marimba in this excerpt, an instrument originally from Africa, made of 50 wooden tone bars!
Unpitched Percussion Instruments
Snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, tambourine, triangle: What do all these instruments have in common? They are all unpitched percussion instruments! Unpitched sounds are sounds that do not represent specific notes and cannot be reproduced on the piano, like the sound of snapping your fingers, for example. These percussion instruments are often used to produce rhythms!
Unusual percussion instruments
The basic definition of a percussion instrument is “any instrument that is struck in order to produce sound.” This means that almost anything can become one! You can turn pots, bottles, boxes, garbage cans, and even your own body into a percussion instrument!
Build your own percussion instrument
You can build your own percussion instrument using everyday objects.
Did you know ?
Build maracas
Build a drum
Build your own percussion instrument
Build your own idiophone
Maracas
You will need: - an empty water bottle - rice/dry legumes/pasta - Scissors, paint, stickers, etc. Take the water bottle and fill it with the rice, the dry legumes (such as lentils), or the pasta, and give it a shake. Decorate it to your liking. Your maracas are finished!
Build your own percussion instrument
Build your own membranophone
Drum
You will need: - an empty tin can (make sure the edges are not sharp) - a birthday balloon - a rubber band- Scissors, paint, stickers, etc. Cut off the bottom of the balloon, then cover the opening of the tin can with the rest of the balloon. It should be stretched tight and smooth. To make sure it stays on the can, add a rubber band. Now you can play your drum with a mini drumstick (an unsharpened pencil, a small glue stick, and so on)!
Draw with your ears!
Listen to Arturo Márquez’s Danzón no. 2.
What percussion instruments do you hear? What do you think of when you hear them? Is the rhythm always slow, or always fast? Draw a picture of what you imagine when you listen to this piece.
Practice for the concert
Follow TorQ's instructions to learn the basics of body percussion.
True or false?
The percussion family is the most resonant family of instruments in the orchestra.
False
True
True or false?
Percussion instruments are always “struck” to produce sound.
False
True
True or false?
All percussion instruments can be used to play melodies.
False
True
Click on the instrument you hear:
The Triangle
The claves
The tambourine
Click on the instrument you hear:
The claves
The darbouka
Themarimba
Click on the method of playing for this instrument
Hit
Shaken
Brushed
The timpani
Click on the method of playing for this instrument
Hit
Shaken
Brushed
Le piano
Spot the outlier :
which of these percussion instruments is not an idiophone?
The marimba
The claves
The darbouka
Spot the outlier:
which of these percussion instruments is not a membranophone?
The timpani
The tambourine
The triangle
Who am I?
Drag the cursor to uncover a hint
Hint 2
Hint 1
Solve
Hint 4
Hint 3
Who am I?
I belong to the percussion family, more specifically, to the category of idiophones.
I produce sounds like little bells.
My keyboard resembles a piano’s.
I can be heard in The Nutcracker ballet.
click on the lock write your answer
answer
I am...
Who am I?
Drag the cursor to uncover a hint.
Hint 2
Hint 1
Solve
Hint 4
Hint 3
My name denotes a percussion instrument that is struck.
My name denotes a percussion instrument comprising two identical pieces.
My name denotes a percussion instrument made of wood.
Je désigne également un rythme utilisé dans des danses latines.
Who am I?
click on the lock write your answer
ANSWER
I am...