Marimba and vibraphone gain prominence (e.g., Milhaud’s Concerto, Tippett’s Third Symphony).
Glockenspiel and tubular bells continue widespread use.
The Water Gong
In the mid-20th century, the water gong gained popularity beyond its Southeast Asian origins, becoming a feature in contemporary and multimedia performances. Its unique, immersive sound—created by striking a gong partially submerged in water—made it ideal for meditation, therapy, and artistic expression. Blending traditional craftsmanship with modern creativity, it became a symbol of cultural fusion and sound innovation. This technique has been unitilzed by composers such as Penderecki and Cage.
Bowed Cymbals
Bowing cymbals is a technique with roots in early 20th-century orchestral music, notably used by Arnold Schoenberg in 1909 and later embraced in contemporary composition, sound design, and free improvisation. By the mid-20th century, composers like Mario Bertoncini advanced the technique, treating the cymbal as a full musical voice, while its haunting, unpredictable sound made it popular in ambient and experimental music. Mapping cymbals for bowed performance involves identifying consistent sonic spots, as each cymbal produces a unique range of pitches, multiphonics, and effects depending on bow pressure, speed, and location. Though difficult to control, bowed cymbals offer a rich variety of expressive possibilities, blending chance with precision, and have become a key element in avant-garde and improvised musical settings. A great example is Mario Bertoncini's Tune (1965)
Composers are now implementing snare drum solos and utilizing a new timpani technique!
In Ravel’s Boléro, the snare drum begins the piece with a two-bar, eight-beat rhythm that it repeats 169 times without change, forming the foundation of the entire work. This unbroken rhythmic pattern acts as a continuous solo, showcasing the snare drum’s endurance, precision, and central role in driving the piece’s gradual crescendo and orchestral color development.
Timpani glissandos became a hallmark of mid-20th-century orchestral writing, made possible by pedal timpani. Carl Nielsen first used the technique in Symphony No. 4 (1916), with simultaneous glissandos on two drums. Béla Bartók expanded its expressive use in Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (1936). Though slightly earlier, these works paved the way for treating timpani as melodic and dynamic instruments by the 1940s and beyond.
In Carl Nielsen’s Fifth Symphony, the snare drum plays a uniquely disruptive and dramatic role. At one point, Nielsen instructs the snare drummer to improvise chaotically, as if trying to sabotage the performance. This rebellious solo symbolizes disorder and tension, requiring the full orchestra to overpower it. The moment stands out as a bold use of percussion to portray conflict and emotional unrest within the symphony’s structure.
Cumbia’s infectious rhythm and adaptability have influenced Western music by serving as a rhythmic and stylistic foundation for genre fusion. As it spread globally by the 1960s, Western artists and producers began incorporating cumbia’s distinct beat into pop, electronic, and dance music. Its fusion with genres like soul, techno, and ballad styles shows how cumbia helped shape a more rhythmically rich and culturally diverse musical landscape in Western music.
Morton Gould’s Latin-American Symphonette (1941) reflects mid-20th-century American fascination with Latin music and instruments. Each movement highlights a different Latin American dance (rhumba, tango, guaracha, conga) using orchestral stylization mixed with Latin rhythms and instrumentation. To evoke authentic color, Gould included Latin-inspired percussion like maracas, vibraphone, and marimba, creating textures that drew from traditional Cuban and Argentinian styles while maintaining a jazz-influenced American orchestral sound. His work helped bridge Latin American musical elements with Western concert music, popularizing these rhythms and instruments for broader audiences, especially through radio.
Rhumba (Movement I):
Featured muted trumpets, lyrical oboe/sax lines, and playful syncopation.
Rhythm-driven, reflecting the dance’s Cuban roots.
Tango (Movement II):
Used pizzicato strings, harp, piano, and guitar for sensual, intimate color.
Emphasized slow, expressive rhythm outside typical European orchestration.
Guaracha (Movement III):
Fast-paced, scherzo-style with constant syncopated eighth notes.
Rhythmic and humorous, mimicking its use in Cuban satirical theater.
Conga (Movement IV):
Included marimba, vibraphone, and hand percussion for festive energy.
Mimicked the popular “one-two-three-kick” conga rhythm.
Paused mid-movement with a mellow guitar, oboe, and clarinet duet.
Peruvian band Los Mirlos pioneered psychedelic cumbia, blending traditional cumbia rhythms with electric guitars and Amazonian musical influences, creating a unique sound that resonated beyond Latin America.
This Colombian group played a significant role in popularizing cumbia internationally, with “Mi Cucu” becoming a dancefloor staple that introduced cumbia rhythms to a broader audience.
This track by the American Tejano singer Selena showcases the fusion of traditional Mexican cumbia rhythms with contemporary pop elements, contributing to cumbia’s popularity in the United States.
Although slightly beyond the late 20th century, Bomba Estéreo’s “Fuego” exemplifies the evolution of cumbia into the 21st century, merging electronic beats with traditional cumbia, influencing global music scenes.
“Boléro – Program Notes.” Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.tucsonsymphony.org/program-notes/ravel/bolero/#:~:text=The%20first%20sound%20you%20hear,melodies%20are%20played%20only%20once.
Encyclopædia Britannica. Percussion Instrument: Developments After 1800. March 21, 2025. https://www.britannica.com/art/percussion-instrument/Developments-after-1800.
“In the Kitchenette with the Dinette – It’s the Symphonette: Morton Gould’s Symphonette No. 4.” Interlude. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://interlude.hk/in-the-kitchenette-with-the-dinette-its-the-symphonette-morton-goulds-symphonette-no-4-latin-american-symphonette/
“Nielsen: Symphony No. 5.” Los Angeles Philharmonic. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/4009/symphony-no-5#:~:text=Nielsen%20instructs%20the%20snare%20drummer,voice%20of%20a%20solo%20clarinet.
“The History of Cumbia and How It Evolved through Latin Countries.” Amigo Energy. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://amigoenergy.com/blog/the-history-of-cumbia-and-how-it-evolved-through-latin-countries/#:~:text=Initially%20frowned%20upon%20by%20the,¡Baila%2C%20baila%2C%20baila!
“Timpani.” Land Survival – Schools Wikipedia. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://landsurvival.com/schools-wikipedia/wp/t/Timpani.htm
“Water Gong.” Organology. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://organology.net/instrument/water-gong/#:~:text=The%20Water%20Gong%20is%20believed,ethereal%2C%20immersive%20effect%20to%20music.
Marino, Luigi. “Writing for Bowed Cymbals.” Luigi Marino. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.luigimarino.net/words/writing-for-bowed-cymbals.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com