The most famous classical piece with a continuous drumbeat is surely Ravel's "Bolero." Another one that has a long drum ostinato through much of it's length is the Shostakovich 7th symphony (which, unlike the Ravel, is a colossal bore). The first movement of Nielsen's 5th symphony also features an often obsessive drum pattern. Often conductors during the baroque era would strike a post against the floor to mark their meters--perhaps these could count as "drum beats." A really neat percussion ensemble work to check out is Henry Cowell's "Ostinato Pianissimo." Aaron J. Rabushka [log in to unmask] http://www.cowtown.net/users/arabushk