It was not unusual for virtuoso timpanists of the 18th century to perform on between 10 and 16 drums, which were smaller in diameter than those in use today. This recording, in which the soloist plays on 18th-century style drums mounted with goat-skin heads, presents several styles of music for multiple timpani. These include the semi-improvised style used by military drummers, elegant court symphonies by Molter and Graupner, and Fischer’s Symphony with four pairs of obbligato timpani, in effect the first known timpani concerto. Druschetzky, a military musician and virtuoso timpanist, wrote several compositions for multiple timpani. His Concerto for six timpani demands a virtuoso technique including rolls, beating on two drums simultaneously, and many cross-stickings.