xylophone

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Musical percussion instrument of African and Indonesian origin. It consists of a series of hardwood bars of varying lengths, each with its own distinct pitch, arranged in a similar way to a piano. Beneath each bar is a metal tube resonator that helps to enrich and sustain the sound. It is usually played with hard beaters to produce a hard, bright, penetrating sound, or soft beaters for a mellower sound. It first appeared as an orchestral instrument in Charles Camille Saint-Saëns's Danse macabre in 1874, illustrating dancing skeletons, and can also be heard in ‘Fossils’ from The Carnival of Animals (1887).

The star, which was added to the flag in 1793, initially had more than five points. The star may represent the Morning Star mentioned in the Koran. Effective date: 5 June 1936. >>