History of musical cymbals

Dishes is a percussion musical instrument with a rich history. The first analogues of the instrument could appear in the Bronze Age in the countries of the Far East – China, Japan and Indonesia. Chinese cymbals had a conical bell shape with a ring-shaped bend along the outer radius. The bell served as handles, holding on to which the musician beat the cymbals against each other. All this was reminiscent of the playing of modern orchestral cymbals.

In the XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries, Turkish merchants brought Chinese plates to the territory of the Ottoman Empire in the course of trade relations. It was in Turkey that musical cymbals underwent significant changes, changed shape and emerged as a separate type – “Turkish” or “Western” cymbals. The modern form of “Western” plates was finally established at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, and has not changed significantly since then.

Cymbals were actively used in combat marches, first by units of the Turkish army, and then in European military music. Over time, they began to be used in symphony orchestras. First in the scores of Gluck, and then in the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart.

Now there are 3 basic types of this musical instrument: paired – hitting cymbals against each other, finger – hitting with sticks and mallets, and hanging cymbals – hitting with a bow. Modern musical cymbals are shaped like a convex disc. As a rule, they are made of 4 main alloys: brass, nickel silver, forging and bell bronze. There are more than 10 musical cymbal manufacturers in the world.

The history of plates goes back many centuries. During this time, much has changed in the structure and sound of the instrument, but one thing remains constant – the interest of the public. Modern people need to remember that even an ordinary plate and a little ingenuity can bring vivid emotions and peace of mind to this restless stressful world.