Berlioz
was a composer who showed a great interest in percussion, and his contributions were crucial for the development of this instrumental family. Always trying to improve the sound timpanists could get from their drums, one of his indications was "baguettes d´éponge" ("sponge sticks"). When I had to play his "Symphonie Fantastique", I thought it was the perfect time for me to make a pair of them.
It seems like historical sponge sticks were made with a variety named "elephant ear", very abundant in the Mediterranean Sea at that time, but because I needed them quite urgently, I wasn´t very worried about being very HIP. So, a normal sponge would do... I sliced it into two sheets and cut two circles to cover the heads.
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| © David Valdés |
As always, I made two tonkin sticks:
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| © David Valdés |
I stuffed and rounded the ends to make them nice in the hands:
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| © David Valdés |
Added two wooden ball heads.
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| © David Valdés |
I sewn the two sponge discs.
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| © David Valdés |
Added some red thread as a cosmetic thing:
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| © David Valdés |
Voilà! I now have a pair of "baguettes d´éponge" so I can play the romantic repertoire:
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| © David Valdés |
What kind of sticks have you used when confronted with this indication by berlioz? Would you like trying some real sponge headed sticks?
…et in Arcadia ego.
© David Valdés
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