How did Beethoven use the bass drum in his Ninth Symphony?

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Flemish rommelpot friction drum — percussion instrument Flemish *rommelpot* friction drum; in the Musical Instruments Museum, Brussels.

Ludwig van Beethoven employed the bass drum in his Symphony No. 9 in D Minor (1824) as part of the instrumentation for the work's finale.1

Specifically, the bass drum is utilized within the "Turkish march" section of the symphony's final movement. This inclusion reflects the influence of the "alla turca" style—a genre of European music that emerged in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as a naive imitation of Janissary music, the military music of the Ottoman Empire. By incorporating the bass drum alongside other percussion instruments associated with this style, Beethoven added a distinct, exotic color to the movement's orchestration.23