Xylophone

As Printed on a Score

Labels the xylophone line (Xylophone, Xyl. later), written in treble clef an octave below the sounding pitch. Tremolo strokes ask for a roll, the only way to sustain a note; the mallet type (hard, medium, rubber) is given in words.

Abbreviations: Xyl.

How Composers Use It

Dry, bright and percussive: wooden bars give a short, clicking tone that cuts through any texture. Saint-Saëns made it the rattling bones of Danse macabre and the fossils of The Carnival of the Animals. It suits fast rhythmic figures and doubling a melody to sharpen its attack; long notes must be rolled and still sound busy.

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