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The '''xylophone''' is a percussion instrument consisting of wooden bars, graduated by pitch and length, which are struck with hard-headed “beaters”. There are hollow metal tubes below the bars to act as resonators. It is much like the [[glockenspiel]] from which it differs in having wooden instead of metal bars, which give it a less bell-like tone.

The '''xylophone''' is a percussion instrument consisting of wooden bars, graduated by pitch and length, which are struck with hard-headed “beaters”. There are hollow metal tubes below the bars to act as resonators. It is much like the [[glockenspiel]] from which it differs in having wooden instead of metal bars, which give it a less bell-like tone.

It seems to have come to the public’s attention through the efforts of a travelling “[[virtuoso]]”, one M.J. Gusikof (died !837). It then languished until brought back to life in the 1870’s. It enjoyed its first taste of concert hall glory in 1874 when [[Camille Saint-Saens]] used the xylophone to represent the rattle of bones in the ghoulishly atmospheric ‘”Danse Macabre” It found a permanent place as a paid up member of the symphony orchestra when it was written into the score of [[Gustav Mahler]]’s Sixth Symphony.

It seems to have come to the public’s attention through the efforts of a travelling “[[virtuoso]]”, one M.J. Gusikof (died 1837). It then languished until brought back to life in the 1870’s. It enjoyed its first taste of concert hall glory in 1874 when [[Camille Saint-Saens]] used the xylophone to represent the rattle of bones in the ghoulishly atmospheric ‘”Danse Macabre.” It found a permanent place as a paid member of the symphony orchestra when it was written into the score of [[Gustav Mahler]]’s Sixth Symphony.

[[Category: Percussion Instruments]]

[[Category:Percussion Instruments]]