Janissary Band

Janissary Band is imagined music for percussion patterned after the music and rhythms played by a Turkish Mehter Band. The sounds of percussion instruments in the Janissary band have had a unique influence in Western music, particularly music of Viennese composers. The piece begins with the solemn beat of the Kos or kettledrums and the jinglebells of crescents (a unique percussion instrument of the Mehter Band). High sounding and low sounding drums assemble along with the cymbals and bass drum and the performance begins. The rhythms, melodies and timbres are all taken from authentic Mehter band music. You may even hear the firing of some "rifles" at the close!