Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.
Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student assistant Eli (class of 2024) and features insert title info here. Thanks, Eli!
Modern Method for Tympani by Saul Goodman
While performing my duties as music library student assistant, I discovered a thin workbook titled Modern Method for Tympani. I come across hundreds of books, scores, and instruction manuals in my job, but it was the name of the author of the workbook that caught my attention: Saul Goodman, the namesake of one my favorite TV shows, Better Call Saul.
Further research showed Saul Goodman (the percussionist & author of Modern Method for Tympani) has a fascinating history. Born in Brooklyn in 1907, by the time he was 20, Goodman was the principal timpanist of the New York Philharmonic. He played with this premier orchestra for 46 years and taught at Juilliard, the premier U.S. music school, for 41 years.
Goodman was instrumental in innovating the timpani, introducing both new techniques and inventions such as replaceable-ball timpani sticks and chain-tuned timpanis. He also remains one of the most renowned and influential percussion teachers in history. To add to his long list of accolades, Goodman played the first performance of a timpani concert to be broadcast on air. When he died in 1996, the New York Times credited him with over 6,000 concerts and a place as the longest-held principal Philharmonic position in history. If you would like to try to follow in Saul Goodman’s steps, take a look at Modern Method for Tympani, found at library call number MT660.2. G6, or ask a Music Library student assistant for help.