History of Cymbals

Although today you will find cymbals as part of drum kits, they were not always so. Cymbals have been used independently for thousands of years. In fact the first pair of cymbals was used in 1100 BC in what is now known as Israel. Subsequently, cymbals were used in ancient Egypt around 300 BC and these cymbals were primarily used for worship and in rituals or sacred ceremonies. Their use in music was limited but today, of course, they’re an important piece in any drum kit and an important part of the percussion family as well.

The early cymbals made by the Egyptians were quite similar to the ones we have today. We know this because the British Museum houses a pair of cymbals, 13 cm in diameter, which was found buried with the coffin of an ancient Egyptian mummy – Ankhhape, who was a sacred Egyptian musician. Cymbals used in other parts of the world were shaped slightly different. The Greeks used large brass plates as cymbals and the Persians cymbals were shaped like cups or bells. There were also small finger-cymbals, which were obviously worn on fingers. These finger-cymbals were Chinese made.

China and Turkey were cornerstones of cymbal making in the old days. In fact, the Avedis Zildjian Company, which is the oldest and the largest cymbal manufacturer in the world, was founded in Istanbul, Turkey. The company gets its name ‘Zildjian’ from an interesting tale. The word Zildjian means cymbal-smith and was conferred by a certain Sultan of Turkey upon a Turk who discovered how to make cymbals louder and more musical than ever before. The company is a family run business, which has been in operation for over 400 years now and makes most of the cymbals in the market today.

Apart from Zildjian, there are many other well-known manufacturers today such as Istanbul Agop, Yamaha and Sabian to name but a few. Unlike in ancient times, these manufacturers use mechanical processes to manufacture cymbals, although some companies do still manufacture hand-made ones (the Sabian HH – hand-hammered variety does this). The traditional art of cymbal making was perfected and also mostly originated in China. This process involved casting each blank (plate) of the cymbal individually and then cold-hammering it until its surface was uneven. This unevenness was preserved in order to give handmade cymbals their characteristic sound. Then a process called ‘lathing’ was carried out which would reduce the weight of the cymbal to a third of what it was and also to make the surface even more uneven. This would be followed by more cold-hammering. The hammering would create bumps and pits known as ‘tone grooves.’ This process was quite labour intensive.