Marimba and Xylophone
Marimba and Xylophone
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History
The xylophone appeared in Southeast Asia about the 14th century. It became highly developed through use in the Indonesian gamelan, or percussion orchestra.
The simplest xylophone were a pair of bars that laid across the player's legs. More complex instruments were developed that were mounted on a frame.
The use of the xylophone spread throughout the continent of Africa, possibly by being imported through Madagascar. It became a prominent instrument in African music. It became introduced to Latin America by African slaves. There it became known as the marimba.
The xylophone received its name from the Greek word xylon, meaning "wood", and the word phone, meaning "sound".
The xylophone arrived in Europe around 1500. It became a widely used folk instrument in central Europe. The Polish and Russian performers had popularized the xylophone in western Europe by the 19th century. It was first used in the orchestra in 1874.
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Description
The xylophone is a musical percussion instrument. It consists of a series of graduated wooden or metal bars. The bars are usually mounted on a frame. The bars touch the frame near their end, at the node.
Xylophones mounted on a frame may have a gourd or tubular resonators suspended under each bar. An alternative is the frame itself. It may form a trough like resonator.
The orchestral xylophone has two rows of bars. They are arranged like piano keys. Tubular resonators are tuned to each bar. The range of the instrument is usually four octaves, starting from middle C.
The orchestral marimba has tubular resonators under the bars. It is pitched an octave lower than the xylophone.
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Sound Production
Sound is produced by striking the bars with mallets to produce sound. It can be played with two hard mallets for a dry penetrating sound. It may also be played with multiple pairs of soft rubber mallets for muted chords or a soft passage.
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