The xylophone is first mentioned in Europe in 1511. Known as hölzernes Gelächter (“wooden percussion”) or Strohfiedel (“straw fiddle,” because the bars were supported on straw), it was long a Central European folk instrument, in which the bars extended away from the player instead of in a line across him.

Who discovered the xylophone?

Most historians believe that the first xylophones appeared in eastern Asia, whence they are thought to have spread to Africa. The first evidence of the instruments is found in 9th century south-east Asia. In around 2000 BC a kind of wood-harmonicon with 16 suspended wood bars is said to have existed in China.

When did the xylophone become popular?

The xylophone gained popularity internationally in the 1800s when the Russian musician Michael Josef Gusikov toured with his instrument. Between 1910 and 1940 the xylophone was popular in vaudeville acts.