The
European
Timpani
CALF
SKIN
CALF SKIN:
Broadly
stated, the timpanist has two choices when choosing what type of timpani
head they will use on each set of drums, that of natural skin (calf or
goat), or plastic. Of the natural skins the calf is by far the more
popular and common, but goat skin is an alternative which some timpanists
prefer for its sound and also the tradition of this sound. There are also
two styles of plastic timpani head, that of the “Renaissance” skin,
which seeks to emulate the sound of natural skin, without some of the
hazards entailed in the use of calf or goat skin, and also the older style
of white plastic head. Conductors may make a particular request, which is
almost always for calf skin, but the choice ultimately lies with the
musician.
‘The
calf and the goat skin were considered for a long time of equal quality
and were sufficient for the requirements. The fact that the choice fell
rather on one as on the other was because of the fact that in the
appropriate regions more calves than goats were bred.’
[1]
-
Dieter Dyk
For
thousands of years the skins of newborn animals have been used as the
material which forms the head of a drum. In time the call arose for skins
of higher quality, of more uniform thickness, and above all capable of
producing and sustaining a clear note such as is expected from a timpani
head. The original, untreated calf skins were rich in tone but could not
produce this richness in their upper and lower register. A technique known
as polishing, or sharpening, improved the sound qualities of the skins but
now gave them that property of calf skin known and battled with around the
world : a susceptibility to changes in temperature and humidity. An early
method to combat this was limewashing, but not surprisingly it had an
unfavourable effect on the sound quality. Again the skins were subjected
to a new process, called splitting, which produced very even skins, but
also very thin; the lime particles were now unable to bond with the
natural material. Lime was replaced by water repellent glycerin and it is
this basic process which is used in the treatment of the ubiquitous Kalfo
calf skin timpani head.[2]
For
all these techniques and processes, aimed at making the calf skin less
susceptible to the weather but still possessing of a full and clear tone,
still today only a compromise between these two factors has been achieved;
the plastic skin was developed as an alternative approach to these
problems. But the plastic skin is a relatively new invention, less than 50
years old, so most of the repertoire of a symphony orchestra was written
for the sound of natural skins. However calf skin is not used solely for
reasons of tradition, but because its properties give it a sound that
timpanists in many orchestras prefer over any other.
Louis
Sauvetre : ‘I
definitely don’t play the same when I play calf heads. I
think it is more easy to fit in the sound of the orchestra, to play
more deep, to find more colours with one pair of sticks only. Especially
the contact with the head is very different.’
Many
players speak of the superior sound quality of the calf skin and its many
favourable characteristics, such as its clearer rhythmic and articulation
qualities, its capabilities across the entire dynamic range – a full,
strong tone in fortissimo but also clarity and projection in pianissimo
(plastic skins in comparison often only sound good in a narrower range of
dynamics), and also more subjective qualities which are difficult to
describe in words, such as an ability to blend with the other timbres of
the orchestra, and also the range of colours and sonorities which the skin
itself is capable of producing, saving the player from constantly changing
mallets in order to achieve these results.
Didier
Benetti (Orchestre National de France): ‘The
after-effect [of
calf skin, as compared to plastic skin] is
shorter, but it sounds good and blends better with the orchestral sound
…
the rhythm is clearer, the natural skins respond better to harder playing.
On the plastic skins one must play often hard, so that it is at all
audible in the hall.’
[3]
Dieter
Dyk : ‘It
[calf skin] even in very loud
passages – played with felt or flannel – keeps a certain quality (not
with the wood stick). The goat skin is not reacting to felt as clear as
the calf. With goat you use harder (flannel) sticks.’
As
mentioned earlier, both of the natural skins are affected strongly by the
surrounding temperature and humidity (but calf more so than goat). Heat or
dryness shrinks the skin, cold or wet conditions cause it to loosen, so
the drum cannot be relied upon to always hold its pitch. It is not only
during outdoor performances that these problems are faced, excess heat
from stage lights or dry air from the air-conditioning system are common
problems in many concert halls. In a freezing church the skin might be
expected to slacken because of the extreme cold, but instead the dry air
causes the pitch to go up! Despite this, many timpanists will take these
risks with calf skin because the resulting sound is worth the
difficulties.