Iskender Savasir asks:
>Would anyone have an idea as to why Rameau was particularly interested
>in the tambourine? Are there any precursor to the said interest? Or
>is it something we meet for the first time in Rameau?
I suspect it is the dance rather than the instrument. I found the
following in Grove (via the Gramophone web site):
"Tambourin An 18th-century French character piece, supposedly
based on a Provencal folkdance accompanied by pipe and tabor.
It is usually in a lively 2/4 metre, with a repeated bass note
simulating a drum. There are examples in Rameau's operas and
ballets."
Roger