Xenakis: Les Percussions chez Xenakis

Mallet is an aesthetic-forward instrumental genre centered on mallet percussion timbres—especially marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, glockenspiel, and related keyboard percussion. In practice it blends the shimmering sustain of vibraphone with the woody articulation of marimba, often in minimalist ostinati, pointillistic counterpoint, or soft ostinato beds used in contemporary classical, jazz-adjacent, and soundtrack contexts. Arrangements typically foreground pulse, interlocking patterns, and timbral clarity rather than dense harmony, giving the music a glassine, gently propulsive character that suits film cues, concert works, and contemplative listening alike.