Percussion instruments
Kös (kettledrum)
Kös (kettledrum): The largest and loudest drum of the mehter, with skin stretched over a cauldron-shaped metal body. Its name comes from the Persian word kûs. It was used in the Ottoman mehterhane and in army music; the largest ones were carried on camels or elephants. Evliya Çelebi writes that he saw camel and elephant kös made for the army. Its player is called a kösçü.
In brief
- Family: Percussion; kettle (bowl-shaped) drum with a single head
- Origin: The name comes from Persian kûs; also used in Seljuk, Mamluk and earlier Islamic armies
- Body and materials: Large kettle of brass-like metal; camel skin is usually stretched over the opening
- Dimensions: The Mohács kös in the Military Museum is about 125 cm across the opening
- Playing: The kösçü (köszen) strikes it with round-headed wooden beaters held in both hands; usually played in pairs
- Types: Elephant kös (the largest), camel kös and the oval kös played on a stand
- Music: Ottoman mehter; to command the army, raise morale and frighten the enemy
- 16th–17th centuries: Describing the kös of the mehter, Evliya Çelebi jokingly compares their size to a bathhouse dome[1, 2]
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History
Its name comes from the Persian word kûs. It was used in the Ottoman mehterhane and in army music; the largest ones were carried on camels or elephants. Evliya Çelebi writes that he saw camel and elephant kös made for the army. Its player is called a kösçü.
Construction
Camel skin is stretched over the opening of a large, cauldron-shaped body made of a brass-like metal. It is usually used in pairs and placed on an animal's back or on a stand.
How it is played
It is struck with heavy beaters and gives a deep sound reminiscent of thunder.
Its place in makam music
It plays no melody; it emphasises the heavy strokes of the mehter usuls and forms the lowest and loudest foundation of the ensemble.
Getting started: types, sizes, tuning
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Masters on recordings
Performers who play this instrument on recordings of works in the score archive (MusicBrainz).
Frequently asked questions about the Kös (kettledrum)
What is the difference between the kös and the davul?
The davul is a cylindrical shell with skin on both heads and is played hanging from the shoulder. The kös, by contrast, is a large, cauldron-shaped copper body with skin on one head; since it is hard to carry, it rests on an animal's back or on a stand on the ground. Its sound is much deeper and louder than the davul's; the kös is the lowest and most powerful percussion sound of the mehter.
What does the kös do in the mehter?
The kös accentuates the heaviest strokes of the mehter usuls and forms the ensemble's powerful foundation. In battles and ceremonies its sound, heard from afar, symbolized the might of the army and the majesty of the state; large kös drums were carried on the backs of camels or elephants during campaigns.
Where can the kös be seen today?
Today examples of the kös can be seen at the Military Museum in Istanbul, in the performances of its Mehter Band and in some other mehter bands. Some of the large old kös drums are on display in museums. In ceremonies, smaller and portable kös drums are mostly used.
Does the kös play melodies?
No. The kös plays strokes only; the melody belongs to the zurna, the boru and the mehter singers. The kös's task is to mark the heavy strokes of the usul with its thunder-like sound and to add weight and majesty to the ensemble. That is why the most important skill of a kös player is to place the strokes in perfect agreement with the ensemble's tempo in long, slow usuls.