How to Use timpani in a Sentence

timpani

noun
  • They were placed mid-orchestra, behind the violas and bravely in front of the timpani.
    — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
  • The first movement moves from a soft, lyrical opening into flashes of energy, pushed forward by timpani and far-off horn calls.
    — Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 5 Dec. 2025
  • Thirty minutes later, a thousand timpani rumbled through the forest.
    — AFAR Media, 7 Aug. 2025
  • The piece is scored for two string groups, timpani, and piano—an instrument that often gives a metallic bite to Martinů’s orchestral textures.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Then-current neoclassicism is evident in bright scorings — for double winds and brass, strings and timpani — and patches of contrapuntal business.
    — Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The 10-minute score, with begins with a virtuosic timpani solo, is meant to evoke the libidinous atmosphere in Mexico City dance clubs in the 1980s.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
  • Recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and arranged with conservatory luminaries such as Caroline Shaw, Lux builds from strings, vocal choirs, and enough timpani to simulate a fracking expedition.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'timpani.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: