I can't recall a piece scored for a quiet anvil other than my own ("This
Hallowed Ground - The Farms of Gettysburg" has a brake drum down as low as mp,
at least briefly!), but there's no reason it can't be done. Of course, the
trick is to not use a real anvil - they are so solid that you can't get them to
vibrate at all. In a real blacksmith shop it's not the anvil you hear, but the
metal which is being worked. To my ear the best anvil-like sound comes from a
brake drum, muffled with a rag if you don't want much sustain. You can use a
light lexan bell mallet or even a triangle beater to get a light, quiet sound.
You can also get them in different sizes, from truck down to subcompact, for
different tones.
Chuck May
Percussion, Eagles Band
Pittsfield MA
-----Original Message-----
>From: Aaron Rabushka <[email protected]>
>Subject: [Finale] OT: dynamic range for musical anvils?
>
>Is anyone acquainted with the musical use of anvils, and their possible
>dynamic range? Every instance I can thing of is loud, and I noticed that
>Wagner does not give any dynamic's for Mime's hammering in Siegfried. Is
>anyone here familiar with any quiet uses of them?
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