Timbrel
{{short description|Principal percussion instrument of the ancient Israelites}}
{{For|the album|Timbrel (album)}}
{{Infobox instrument
| image = Deff - Tambourine, p. 579 in Thomson, 1859.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| background = percussion
| names = adufe, deff, tabret, tof
| classification = Frame drum
| hornbostel_sachs = 211.311
| hornbostel_sachs_desc = Directly struck membranophone
}}
The timbrel or tabret (also known as the tof of the ancient Hebrews, the deff in Arabic, the adufe of the Moors of Portugal) was the principal percussion instrument of the ancient Israelites. It resembled either a frame drum{{sfn|Sendry|1969}} or a modern tambourine.{{sfn|Schlesinger|1911}}
History
The word timbrel is used in the Hebrew Bible in both singular and plural form, so as to suggest the former referred to a hoop of wood or metal over which was stretched a parchment head; while the latter was perhaps used to designate the tambourine with bells or jangles fixed at intervals in hoops. A tambourine is essentially a wooden frame drum with jangles or bells round the edges.{{sfn|Schlesinger|1911}} In {{Bibleverse|Nahum|2:7|KJV}}, where the word "tabering" occurs in the King James Version, it means beating on the breast, as drummers beat on the tabret.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}} {{citation needed span|date=April 2023|The Israelites learned to use the timbrel during their sojourn in Egypt}}, and in the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, Kathleen Schlesinger stated "it has been suggested that as the Egyptians used it to scare away their evil spirit Typhon",{{sfn|Schlesinger|1911}} the word tof is derived from the latter. The tabret or timbrel was a favorite instrument of the women, and was used with dances, as by Miriam, to accompany songs of victory, or with the harp at banquets and processions; it was one of the instruments used by King David and his musicians when he danced before the Ark of the Covenant. It was also used in the valley of Hinnom at the sacrificial rites.{{sfn|Schlesinger|1911}}
See also
Notes
{{reflist}}
References
- {{EB1911|first=Kathleen |last=Schlesinger |author-link=Kathleen Schlesinger |wstitle=Timbrel |volume=26 |page=981}}
Further reading
- {{cite book|title=The World of Islam, Faith, People and Culture|editor-first=Bernard|editor-last=Lewis|year=1976}}{{page needed|date=January 2018}}
- {{cite book|title=Musical Instruments: A Comprehensive Dictionary|url=https://archive.org/details/musicalinstrumen00marc|url-access=registration|first=Sibyl|last=Marcuse|year=1975|location=New York|publisher=W. W. Norton|isbn=0-393-00758-8}}{{page needed|date=January 2018}}
- {{cite book|title=The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians|edition=2nd|editor1-first=Stanley|editor1-last=Sadie|editor2-first=John|editor2-last=Tyrrell|editor3-first=Laura|editor3-last=Macy|year=2001}}{{volume needed|date=January 2018}}{{page needed|date=January 2018}}
- {{cite book|title=The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians|edition=1st|editor1-first=Stanley|editor1-last=Sadie|year=1980|volume= 6 Entry "Frame drum" |page=739}}
{{Frame drums}}