Coperto

What it means

Coperto means “covered” and is a playing instruction for percussion instruments, above all for timpani and drums. What is demanded is to damp the head by laying a cloth over it. The sound thereby loses reverberation and high components; it becomes shorter, duller, and recedes into the background.

Coperto is to be distinguished from mere quiet playing. A damped drum sounds different from an open one even with a strong stroke — what matters is the tone colour, not the volume alone. Equally to be kept apart is damping with the hand after the stroke, which ends the note, whereas the cloth changes the sound from the outset.

The cancelling of the instruction is asked for by scoperto or an equivalent marking.

In the notation

The instruction stands as a word above the staff of the part concerned and applies until it is revoked. In scores it appears in the percussion group, often together with further indications on the mallets. Because the preparation takes time, composers as a rule place it a few bars before the entry.

Musical use

The damped drum is used above all in funeral music: the restrained, dull sound is a fixed means of expression there. Damping also serves to fit percussion instruments into quietly scored sections without their covering the sound. It is also used in stage music when a sound is to come from a distance.

With timpani, a cloth is laid on the head to damp decay and resonance.

Performance practice

Prepare the cloth in good time and lay it on so that it touches the head evenly without slipping. Test the sound before the entry, for the thickness and position of the cloth change it considerably. Adapt the stroke: a damped head responds less and often needs a more definite attack. And plan the change back to the open sound, for the removal of the cloth is audible if it happens too late.