The Festive Sound of the Xylophone

 The Festive Sound of the Xylophone
The Xylophone is a musical instrument consisting of wooden or metal slats of various lengths, which produce different notes when struck by wooden hammers.
Verse and photos by Dr Abe V Rotor


An all-girls xylophone band.  Lagro, QC, 2013

I like the resonance of the sound of the xylophone: metallic and tingling in the distance, its bars of metal; gong-like when made of wood; and naive when made of bamboo; 

I cannot miss the sound of the xylophone, for its distinct clear notes no other instrument can equally produce - festive and happy -  and I know I am part of the occasion;   

I saw and heard a bamboo xylophone in Vietnam's Reunification Palace; it made me feel for the Vietnamese in their struggle during the war, and more for their victory;  

I  saw and heard an orchestral xylophone, made of metal bars and tubes, you would think it's a miniature church organ but played as a percussion instrument; 

I saw one in Egypt, shaped like a lyre, its bars of hard wood, and as it was played I watched the camels and their riders drift on the sea of sand around the pyramids. 

I got a bamboo xylophone from old friends, the bars arranged on a vinta-like receptacle as sounding board, amplifying each of the seven notes like rowing song;

I treasure most the caroling by a band of high school girls at home,  a rare experience to listen to six xylophones playing in harmony the songs of Christmas. ~