fromAngelstoOrchestra(PARTII):aniconographichistoryofthetrianglethroughthe19thCenturybyMarkBerry-lastrevision09/22/2016

AswaspresentedinPARTI,thetriangleishistorically,an"alliedcousin"ofthesistrum.Priorscholarshipregardingthefirstmentionofatriangleinhistorywasclarifiedandaddedto.Weseetrianglesiniconographyfromthefourteenthcenturyon.Manyoftheseinstrumentshadjinglingringsattachedtothehorizontalbar.Theiconographyoftendepictsthetriangleinareligious/contemplativecontext,almostalwaysbeingplayedbyangels(andsometimesmuses).TrianglesWithoutJinglingRingsTriangleswithoutjinglingringsarealsofoundfromthemid-fifteenthcenturyupuntilmoderntimes.Iconographyoftriangleswithoutringsisabundant,howevertriangleswithjinglingringsappearabitmorefrequently.

Curiously,thefirstknownuseofthewrittenterm“triangle”occursinaninventorylistinWurttemberg,Germanyfrom1589,nearlytwohundredyearsaftertheappearanceofthetriangleinthelatefourteenthcentury.

Throughoutthecenturies,othertermsforthetrianglehaveincluded:

muthallath(Arab.)scalischins(Fr.)shalischim(Heb.)

staffa(It.)staffetto(It.)steigereif(Ger.)

trapezium(BritishEng.)trepie(Fr.)

trepit(Fr.)trespié(Fr.)triangel(Ger.)triangolo(It.)triangulo(Sp.)tripet(Fr.)

triposcolybaeus(Lat.)turianta(Arab.Colloq.)

zimbel(Ger.)

Metamorphoses:fromangelstoorchestra...Aroundtheeighteenthcentury,ametamorphosisoccurs.Theuseofthetrianglebeginstoexpand.Thesoundofthetrianglebeginstobringaboutnewmusicalconnotationsandassociations.ThismetamorphosesbeginswiththeJanissaryCorps.TheJanissaryCorpsJanissariesweretheeliteinfantrysoldiersthatformedthetroopsandbodyguardsoftheSultanoftheOttomanEmpirefornearly500years.SultanMuradIcreatedtheforcein1383.ThemusicoftheJanissariesisconsideredtobetheoldestformofmarchingmilitarymusicintheworld.Theirbandswereknownasmehterân.Thepurposeofmehtermusicwastoterrifytheenemy,andtoinspiretheJanissarysoldiersinbattle.

Themehterânutilizedseveralpercussioninstruments,includingthekös,thedavul,thenakkare,thezil,andthecevgen.Theseinstrumentsarestillusedtodayinhistoricreenactments.

Thecevgen(alsocalledtheTurkishCrescentorTheJinglingJohnnie)wasapercussioninstrumenttypicallyusedbythemehterân.Theinstrument

hadnumerousbrassorbronzebellssuspendedfromit.Thecevgenwasplayingbyshakingorstampingtheinstrumentinrhythmwhilemarching.Therearesmallvarietieswhicharecarriedovertheshoulder,andlargevarieties,helduprightinthemannerofaflag.

Thecevgenisalsoknownbyothernames:

chapeauchinois(Fr.)jinglingjohnnie(Eng.)pavillonchinois(Fr.)schnellenbaum(Ger.)turkishcrescent(Eng.)

"Turquerie"TheturkishcrazeorturqueriewasatrendinEuropethroughthe17thand18thCenturyreflectingtheEuropeanfascinationwithTurkishart,music,andculture.Aformofexoticism,EuropeanswereintriguedbyallthingsTurkish.TheincreasingtraderoutesanddiplomaticrelationshipsbetweenEuropeannationsandtheOttomanEmpirehelpedfuelthisfascination.Ambassadorsandtradersoftentoldtalesofexoticlandsandtheiradventures.ItwascommonforwealthyaristocratstodressinlavishTurkish-styleclothingandhavetheirportraitspainted.“Turkishsounding”musicwasinvogue.Pianobuildersevenbuilt“JanissaryPedals"and"TurkishStops”intotheirinstrumentstoprovidepercussivesoundstoaccompanypianomusichavinga“Turkish”flair.Themusicofthemehteran,morespecifically,it’sexotic,soul-stirringpower,greatlyinfluencedEuropeanorchestralcomposerssuchas:

• JosefHaydn(Symphony100“Military”)• WolfgangAmadeusMozart(RondoallaTurca,Abductionfromthe

Seraglio)• LudwigvanBeethoven(SymphonyNo.9,TheRuinsofAthens).

UsageThetrianglewasnotusedinfunctionalmehtermusic.ThetrianglewasnotusedbyJanissariesormehteranwhileprovidingmusicforbattle.However,whenJanissarybandsarementionedinmusicalreferencebooks,andtheinstrumentationislisted,thetriangleISincluded.Forexample,WilliApelprovidesthefollowinglist:“bassdrums,cymbals,triangles,militaryglockenspiel,Turkishcrescent”(W.Apel,TheHarvardDictionaryofMusic,Cambridge,1951).AlongerlistissuppliedbyJamesBlades:“afullJanissarybandcouldincludeanumberofbassdrums,numerouspairsofcymbals,smallkettle-drums,triangles,tambourinesandoneormoreTurkishcrescents”(J.Blades,PercussionInstrumentsandTheirHistory).

The triangle was not used in functional mehter music. The triangle was not used by Janissaries or mehteran while providing music for battle. … however …

Thesereferencesmaybeabitconfusingatfirst.TrianglesinaJanissaryband?Triangleslistedasbeingpartoftheinstrumentationofthemehterân?Surelythemehterân,thebandsoftheJanissarysoldiers,wouldn'tbeseenorheardwithatriangle--aninstrumentthatsovividlysymbolizedtheChristianwest.Blade'sandApel'slistingscanonlybeunderstoodfullybyexaminingthecontextofculturalandpoliticalambassadorshipanddiplomacyofthetimes.AmbassadorshipandDiplomacyA1453treatybetweenSuleimanandKingFrancoisIofFrancewascauseforFrancoistosendanentireorchestraofmusiciansandinstrumentstoSuleimanasagestureoffriendship.Inthe1500's,OttomanbusinessandexchangewithEuropeincreasedas

diplomaticandcommercialrelationswereexpanded.In1720,AugustusIIofPolandreceivedamehterbandandinstrumentsasagiftfromSultanAhmedIII.ThePolishmilitarywasquicktoadoptTurkishelementsintoitsownband.EmpressAnnaofRussiawasgivenamehterbandasagiftfromTurkeyin1725.ItplayedforthesigningoftheTreatyofBelgradeceremonyin1739.FranceandAustriafollowedsuitandbythelate1700s,nearlyallthemilitarybandsinEuropewereutilizingelementsofTurkishmusic,creatinga"Janissary-like"soundoftheirown.ThegiftsofdiplomacywerehighlyvaluedandsoonmostEuropeanmilitaryunitshadbandsthatemployed“Turkish-style”percussion,especiallybassdrumandcymbals.However,themilitaryunitsstillfoundtheoriginalTurkishmehtermusictobeharshanddispleasing.Theywerequicktoaddtheirownstyle,whichincludedtheuseofthetriangle.ThisisthereasonthetriangleissometimesincludedaspartoftheinstrumentationoftheJanissaryBand.ThoughnotoftrueTurkishorigin,thetrianglewasindeedfoundinEuropean“Turkish-style”/“Janissary-style”bands.

Influencedbyambassadorship,diplomacy,“Turquerie”andthenewsoundsoftheirownmilitarybands,Europeanorchestralcomposersbegantowriteforthetriangleasameansofemulatingthesoundsofthemehterân--themetallicsoundsofthezilandcevgen,combinedwiththerhythmicpulseofthekös,davul,andnakkare.ThetrianglewastheavailableinstrumentinEuropeforcomposerstowriterhythmically,andwithametalliccolor.Thesoundconjuredimagesofexoticlands,music,andmilitarymight–quiteametamorphosisfromitsreligiousroots.Thecombinationof“musicaldiplomacy”and“culturalfascination”istheprimarymeansofmetamorphoses---fromangelstoorchestra.Earlywriting/scoringforthetriangleTheearlyuseofthetriangleinanorchestral/operaticsettingwasoftennotnotated,andsimplyperformedbyear.Whenatrianglepartwasnotated,itwasalmostalwaysinsteady,repetitiveeighthorsixteenthnotes.Thisreflectstheinstrument’srhythmicroots.Thecontextofearlywritingforthetriangleisusuallythatofmilitarymusicoranemulationofexoticmehtermusic.Composersbegantowriteforthesoundoftheentire“Janissary-like”band.Thiscametobecalled,BandaTurca,andisoftenfoundinanoperaticcontext.EarlywritingforthetriangleincludeCristophWillibaldGluck’soperasLaCythèreAssiégée(1759),LeCadedupé(1761),LarecontreimprévueouThePilgrimsofMecca(1764),IphigéniaenTauride(1778),andEchoandNarcissus(1779).Also,AndréModesteGrétry’soperas,Lafaussemagie(1775),Lucille(1783),andLaCaravaneduCaire (1783)..

The triangle was the available instrument in Europe for composers to write rhythmically, and with a metallic color. The sound conjured images of exotic lands, music, and military might – quite a metamorphoses from its religious roots.

Triangles in a Janissary band? ... Surely the mehteran, the bands of the Janissary soldiers, wouldn't be seen or heard with a triangle--an instrument that so vividly symbolized the Christian west.

The1820s1820–marksthestartoftheRomanticErainmusic,atimewhencomposersbegantoexplorethesustainingqualitiesofthetriangle1824–BeethovencompletesSymphonyNo.9,writinginanAllaTurcastyleforthefinalmovement.However,by1824,thestylehadbecomesofusedwithEuropeanelementsthatithardlysoundedexoticatthetimeofitspremiere.1826–“TheAuspiciousIncident”-In1826,theJanissaryCorpshadbecomebothpowerfulandcorrupt.SultanMahmudIIsawaneedtobuildanewarmyinamodernstyle.ThischangewasathreattotheJanissarieswhoquicklyrevolted.However,Mahmud’sforcesgreatlyoutnumberedtheJanissariesandamassacreensued.Thisbecameknownas“TheAuspiciousIncident”anditmarkstheendofthecenturies-oldJanissaryCorpsToday,the1820’scanserveasapointofreferenceforpercussionistswhenconsideringwhetherornottouseatrianglewithjinglingringsinmodernperformance.Generally,atrianglewithjinglingringsishistoricallyandmusicallyappropriateforallEuropeanandAmericanmusicpriortothe1820’sincludingorchestral,symphonic,operatic,sacred,secular,andmilitarymusic.NineteenthCenturyRomanticismAsthenineteenthcenturyprogressed,European“Turquerie”wentintodecline.WhatreplaceditwasastrongsenseofRomanticisminart,literature,andmusic.ComposersbegintoexploreRomanticidealssuchasthepowerofnature,existentialism,thesupernatural,themacabre,andasenseof“highart”forposterity.Composersbegantowritemassive,large-scalesymphonicworksandtonepoemsthatcapturedtheseideals.Theselargeworksrequiredalargeorchestra,andwithalargeorchestracameanexpandedmusicaluseoftonecolor.Seekingnewtonecolors,Romantic-eracomposersbegantoexplorethesustainingqualitiesofthetriangle.Preferencewasgiventowardsalong,sustainingsoundthatonlytriangleswithoutringscouldprovide.Thus,thejinglingringsassociatedwiththetriangleforfivecenturiesprior,felloutofuse.

Thus, the jingling rings associated with the triangle for five centuries prior, fell out of use.

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