xylophone
instrumentsZY-loh-fone
A percussion instrument with wooden bars struck by mallets.
The xylophone consists of wooden bars arranged in two rows like a piano keyboard, each tuned to a specific pitch. The player strikes the bars with hard mallets, producing a bright, dry, percussive tone. Unlike the marimba, which has resonator tubes beneath the bars, traditional xylophones have no resonators, giving them a sharper, more penetrating sound.
The xylophone has deep roots in African and Southeast Asian musical traditions. In the Western orchestra, it adds brilliance and rhythmic punch. Saint-Saëns used it to represent rattling bones in Danse macabre, and it features prominently in works by Bartók, Stravinsky, and Messiaen. The instrument is also a staple of percussion ensembles and music education, where it serves as an excellent introduction to pitched percussion.
Saint-Saëns used the xylophone in Danse macabre to represent skeletons dancing — the dry, rattling sound of mallets on wooden bars perfectly mimics the clatter of bones.