Timpani
Timpani
Timpani is an Italian plural, the singular of which is timpano, though the singular may also be referred to as a timpanum. In English the term timpano is only widely in use by practitioners: a single drum is often referred to as a timpani, leading many to incorrectly pluralize the word as timpanis. A musician who plays timpani is a timpanist.
Etymology and alternative spellings
The tympanum is mentioned, along with a faux name origin, in the Etymologiae of St. Isidore of Seville:
Etymology and alternative spellings
The reference comparing the tympanum to half a pearl is borrowed from Pliny the Elder.
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