Timpani kept usable across key changes because they retune quickly

Evidence

Such a group of kettledrums is referred to as “timpani” (the Oxford Companion to Music notes that “tympani” is a common misspelling of “timpani”); therefore a single kettledrum would be a “timpano.” As the music modulates from one key to another, composers can continue to make use of the timpani in the new key since they can be retuned rapidly. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1323

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies the timpani/timpano terminology the reader will encounter in orchestration contexts.
• XREF: connects to: Timpani are orchestral drums retuneable to follow key modulations. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1300

Broader Connections

• Timpani are orchestral drums retuneable to follow key modulations. #corroborates (1.00) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1300