The origins of the tambourine remain an unresolved mystery. Some say the instrument finds its roots in West Africa culture while others attest to the instrument’s ancient presence in Turkey, Greece, Italy, the Middle East and India. Mentioned in several old sacred texts throughout the world, the tambourine, prominent in many cultures, may attribute its early popularity to merchants and minstrels traveling between Africa, Europe and beyond. That said, most scholars agree that the instrument is among the first created by humans dating as far back as 1700 BCE.

The tambourine can be traced back to most ancient civilizations such as India, Greece, China, Egypt, and Rome. It is also the instrument on which Miriam played after the Israelites escaped from Egypt in Exodus 15:20. It was often associated with joy, dancing, rejoicing, victory, and times of happiness and gladness.



The tambourine began to take a prominent place in the music world during the eighteenth century when composers used it in their operas, however, it wasn’t until the nineteenth century that the tambourine became more popular, appearing in Igor Stravinsky’s balled ‘Petrushka’, as well as in works by composers such as Berlioz.

Although the tambourine is accepted as a percussion instrument in the orchestra, it wasn’t until the Salvation Army began to use it at the end of the nineteenth century did it begin to one again take its rightful place as an instrument of praise, worship, and warfare in the church. The Salvation Army were also the first to form timbrel brigades, often of young people, devoted to learning and playing the timbrel, especially during outreaches.

The technique of playing the tambourine called ‘Timbrel Praise‘ was developed in Hong Kong during the 1980s by Dodie V. Sarchet-Waller and has since then emerged into what it is today.

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