Snare drum

Snare drum (Fr.: caisse claire, petit tambour, tambour militaire; Ger.: kleine Trommel, Militärtrommel; It.: cassa, tamburo militare, tamburo piccolo), double-headed *cylindrical drum of indefinite pitch, characterized by snares stretched across its lower head; they add great brilliance when the upper head is played. Historically the body was of wood or metal, and the heads were stretched by lacings. The med. tabor is the earliest form of snare drum; during the 15th c. it gradually increased in…