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Zildjian Cymbals:
A Public Radio Commentary
by Bill Hammack
Listen using RealAudio
Here is a sound with roots in sixteenth century Constantinople.
That's the sound of a Zildjian cymbal.
It began in 1618 when Mustafa the First, Sultan of the Ottoman
Empire, ordered an Armenian metalsmith named Avedis to create
cymbals. The Sultan wanted the for his for elite guard, which
used them to spur themselves in battle, and to strike terror in
their enemies.
Avedis made his cymbals from bronze, an alloy of copper and tin.
Its made by melting the two metals together, although if not
mixed correctly the metals will separate within the cymbal,
creating patches of copper and patches of tin. If this happens
the cymbal won't ring because the sound can't reverberate.
The key to Avedis' success though wasn't the bronze - for
centuries cymbals and bells had been made from copper and tin -
the secret was in his special way of mixing the two metals. It
yielded bronze that held its strength when hammered to
unimaginable thinness.
The resulting cymbals so pleased the Sultan that he gave Avedis
eighty gold pieces, and changed his surname to Zildjian -
Z-I-L-D-J-I-A-N. "Zil" is Turkish for cymbal, "dj" for maker, and
"ian" means son of. So, Zildjian means "Son of cymbal maker."
With his new status, Avedis refined his cymbals, expanding into
Greek and Armenian Churches where cymbals were used to accentuate
the hymns and chants.
Many other cymbal makers coveted Avedis' secret methods. To keep
it out of their hands, he passed the special mixing process
orally to his eldest son. By keeping this secret for centuries,
the Zildjian family kept at the forefront of cymbal making,
responding to new markets.
By mid-19th century Opera, with its many themes rooted in ancient
myths, adopted the Turkish cymbal.
After three centuries of manufacture in Turkey, the secret
Zildjian cymbal formula passed on, in 1929, to the the oldest
living Zidjian male heir: An American immigrant also named Avedis
Zildjian.
Just like his predecessor Avedis responded to market need. This
Zildjian introduced the cymbal to Jazz.
Partnering with Gene Krupa, the great drummer from the 1920s, he
produced a cymbal called the "Paper Thin." Its brightness and
quick decay livened up jazz, and became the instrument drummers
used to keep rhythm.
Zildjians are now the cymbal for popular music. Ringo Starr is
said to have used the Zildjian line on all the classic Beatles
recordings. And they're favored by Lars Ulrich of Metallica,
Ginger Baker of Cream and Mitch Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix's drummer.
Today the Zildjian cymbal still sets the standard, but the latest
Zildjian patriarch has deviated from the traditional of passing
trade secrets to the oldest son.
Armand Zildjian, who died recently, shared the formula for mixing
the metal with his daughter. She's the first women to know this
since the company's beginnings in 17th century Constantinople.
Copyright 2003 William S. Hammack Enterprises
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