A generic term for percussion instruments that consist of a series of tuned metal bars arranged in a single or double row (for details of the Hornbostel-Sachs classification see Idiophone). Instruments made of metal slabs were known in China by 700 ce. An instrument of Turkish origin consisting of 16 slabs of metal suspended in an upright frame is said to have been introduced into China in the 7th century. Bronze slabs came two centuries later in the form of the Javanese saron. This bronze metallophone differs from the earliest instruments in that the slabs are suspended horizontally over a cradle of wood similar to the trough xylophone. The saron and a similar instrument, the gender (see Gendèr), have distinctive roles in the Gamelan ensemble. In the gender the tone of each bar is enriched by means of bamboo tubes which are placed in the framework in a vertical position under the slabs. Each bar is tuned by adjusting its length to sound in unison with its corresponding slab.
The East Asian metallophones have influenced certain Western orchestral percussion instruments such as the glockenspiel (see Glockenspiel) and vibraphone (see Vibraphone). In modern compositions the term ‘metallophone’ is applied to a series of alloy bars suspended over a resonance box. The bars are arranged in a single row or in keyboard fashion. A damping mechanism is incorporated in certain models. In some cases the sustaining power is controlled by a magnetized strip of metal which is moved towards or away from the nodal points. Carl Orff scored for metallophones in a number of his compositions. A simple form of metallophones are included in ‘school percussion’.
JAMES BLADES