Its term comes from the Greek words, xylon (wood) and phone (sound), meaning " sound of wood ". The xylophone is a percussion musical instrument made up of a series of sheets of wood of different sizes and arranged horizontally as keys, which are struck with drumsticks to produce sounds. The origin of the xylophone comes from Southeast Asia in the 14th century, a century later it reached Africa, and its use spread throughout the continent, becoming an important instrument for their culture.
African slaves introduced it to Latin America, where it is known as a marimba. In the 1500s this instrument reached Europe, being used as a folk instrument in Central Europe, and it was in the 19th century that Polish and Russian interpreters popularized the xylophone in Western Europe. This instrument has great relevance in a number of classical pieces. His first orchestral appearance was in Camille Saint-Saëns's Danza macabre (1874); this composer also used it in "Fossils" of Carnival of the Animals (1886), like Igor Stravinsky in Petrushka (1911).
The xylophone requires great virtuosity on the part of the percussionist; His current technique is very complex and requires a great specialist. Its role in the current orchestra is not to offer an exotic touch to the work, but rather it is an independent and very important timbre within the orchestral development. Instruments like the xylophone, but with metal foils, are called metallophones.
