Xylorimba
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The xylorimba (sometimes known as the xylo-marimba or marimba-xylophone) is a pitched percussion musical instrument which is a xylophone with an extended range (and not a combination of the xylophone and the marimba, although the name might imply that).
Like a marimba or xylophone, the xylorimba consists of a series of wooden bars laid out like a piano keyboard. It combines the large of the marimba with the higher register of the xylophone. The written range of the instrument spans either four octaves (from the C one octave below middle C to the C three octaves above middle C) or three and a half octaves (from the F below middle C to the same highest note above), and sounds an octave higher than written. Its music is either written in both the treble and bass clefs or the treble clef alone. The instrument has been used in a number of 20th century classical works.
Compositions including xylorimba:
- Alban Berg: Three Orchestral Pieces (1915, revised 1929)
- Pierre Boulez: Le marteau sans maître (1955)
- Olivier Messiaen: Des Canyons aux étoiles… ("From the canyons to the stars…"), solo piano, solo horn, solo glockenspiel, solo xylorimba, small orchestra with 13 string players (1971-74)
- Olivier Messiaen: Saint-François d'Assise (Saint Francis of Assisi)
- Olivier Messiaen: La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ (" The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ "), large 10-part chorus, piano solo, cello solo, flute solo, clarinet solo, xylorimba solo, vibraphone solo, large orchestra (1965-69)
- Olivier Messiaen: Éclairs sur l'au-delà… (1988-92)
