MARIMBA

any of several varieties of xylophone. Marimba is one of many African names for the xylophone, and, because African instruments bearing this name frequently have a tuned calabash resonator for each wooden bar, some ethnomusicologists use the name marimba to distinguish gourd-resonated from other xylophones. The xylophone was taken to Latin America by African slaves (or possibly originated through pre-Hispanic contact), became known there as marimba, and has remained a popular folk instrument in Central America. The wooden bars are affixed to a frame supported by legs or hung at the player's waist. Large, deep-toned instruments up to 6 1/2 octaves in range are sometimes played by four musicians. Marimba keys have tubular or gourd resonators, and, as in Africa, a buzzing membrane is frequently set in the resonator wall, adding a sharp edge to the instrument's sound. The orchestral marimba is a tube-resonated instrument pitched an octave below the orchestral xylophone; its range varies, but 3 1/2 octaves upward from the C below middle C is common. Extremely large marimbas are known as xylorimbas. Compositions for marimba include a concertino by the American composer Paul Creston (1940) and a concerto by the French composer Darius Milhaud (1947).