The percussion instrument family is massive. In a previous episode, we shared pieces of music featuring a few different percussion instruments including the xylophone. Did you know that the xylophone has siblings? Join host Liz Lyon and producer Melanie Renate as we explore pieces of classical music that feature more mallet instruments.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Schnelle Füße, rascher Mut Glockenspiel — The Magic Flute is an opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The glockenspiel is featured in this fairytale. This instrument started out as a set of individual bells, but they were eventually replaced by steel bars. At first, the glockenspiel was considered a substitute for real bells, but it gradually became its own instrument.

LISTEN — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Schnelle Füße, rascher Mut Glockenspiel

Jennifer Bellor: Reflections at Dusk  — The vibraphone was invented in 1920 and quickly became a major instrument used in jazz and dance bands. It can also be found in the orchestra. Jennifer Bellor uses the vibraphone throughout her 2019 album, which was inspired by Nevada sunsets. The feeling of sunsets is described using the mystical and magical sounds of the vibraphone.

LISTEN — Jennifer Bellor: Reflections at Dusk

Steve Reich: Nagoya Marimbas — The marimba is an instrument that has been around for hundreds of years and has its roots both in Africa and Central America. Indigenous Mayan populations even constructed and played the marimba. Composer, Steve Reich has used the marimba throughout much of his work and he is known as one of a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history.

LISTEN — Steve Reich: Nagoya Marimbas

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