Encyclopedia of Percussion

The Encyclopedia of Percussion is an extensive guide to percussion instruments, organized for research as well as general knowledge. Focusing on idiophones and membranophones, it covers in detail both Western and non-Western percussive instruments. These include not only instruments whose usual sound is produced percussively (like snare drums and triangles), but those whose usual sound is produced concussively (like castanets and claves) or by friction (like the cuica and the lion’s roar).

The expertise of contributors have been used to produce a wide-ranging list of percussion topics. The volume includes: (1) an alphabetical listing of percussion instruments and terms from around the world; (2) an extensive section of illustrations of percussion instruments; (3) thirty-five articles covering topics from Basel drumming to the xylophone; (4) a list of percussion symbols; (5) a table of percussion instruments and terms in English, French, German, and Italian; and (6) an updated section of published writings on methods for percussion.

John H. Beck is Professor Emeritus of Percussion and has been a member of the Eastman faculty since 1959. The Percussive Arts Society inducted him into the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame (1999) and presented him with an Outstanding Service Award (2002). He received both the Eastman School of Music Eisenhart Award for excellence in teaching (1997) and the Edwin Peck Curtis Award for excellence in undergraduate teaching (2003). Since retirement in 2008, he has been awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the New York State School Music Association (2009), The President’s Award from Rowan University (2010), the Lifetime Achievement Award from KOSA International Percussion (2010) and the Life Time Achievement Award from Giornate della Percussione, Fermo, Italy (2010). His book Percussion Matters: Life at the Eastman School of Music was published in December 2011 by Meliora Press an imprint of the University of Rochester Press. The John H. Beck Composition Prize was established by Percussion Rochester in 2012.