50th Anniversary of Majestic Percussion

(1960 – 2010)

The family firm of van der Glas B.V. was founded in 1921 by Willem Klazes van der Glas in the old city centre of Heerenveen, the Netherlands. Initially the company sold organs, pianos and wind instruments, but the production of percussion instruments soon followed.

In 1960 Majestic was born. With the growing popularity of drum sets at that time, the Majestic brand name was introduced on professional kits which were widely used by rock bands throughout Europe. By the late 60’s Majestic marching and concert percussion were being produced and quickly became the central focus of the company’s activities. 

The growth and expansion of the Majestic product line continued to include a complete line of timpani which were quickly recognized for their tremendous quality of sound and craftsmanship.

Throughout its long history Majestic has employed a standard of excellence that remains their governing philosophy. Product development, engineering and production all abide by this philosophy to ensure that every instrument conforms to stringent standards of craftsmanship and performance.

Today, Majestic percussion instruments can be seen and heard at fine performances all over the globe.  Majestic marching drums are played by such prestigious ensembles as the Russian army bands, the world-champion marching band DVS, and the European indoor percussion champion Percussion Unlimited. Majestic timpani are the choice of many of the finest schools and professional bands and orchestras around the world. Most recently, Majestic mallet instruments have quickly become the preferred brand of many discriminating percussion performers and educators, and are being used by such notables as the Ju Percussion Group, Janus Percussion, and Jazz vibraphonist Jason Marsalis.

From orchestras in Canada to the top DCI drum corps in the U.S. to ensembles in Chile; from the Bolshoi theatre in Russia to the National Symphony Orchestra in China to bands in New Zealand; Majestic is preferred by percussionists throughout the world.

Over the course of 50 years Majestic has grown and evolved to include the complete line-up of percussion instruments that it offers today. You can be sure that this evolution will continue and that the Majestic brand will remain on the cutting edge, providing state of the art instruments to meet musicians needs. Engineers and performers are already collaborating to bring you the next exciting steps in the evolution of concert and marching percussion and the Majestic commitment to unmatched quality remains. 

While we celebrate the successes of the past 50 years, we also look forward to the future and what will surely be an exciting time to play Majestic.