Manza MO.0.0.34513

Play this virtual instrument

Click on the keys to hear the sound of the xylophone. It works on both desktop and touchscreen devices.
Smartphones and tablets by scanning the QR code.
On touchscreens, you can also play multiple notes simultaneously by touching the keys with multiple fingers.
1 / 5
© RMCA Tervuren - J. Van de Vyver
2 / 5
3 / 5
4 / 5
5 / 5
Click image to open full window

In the RMCA music collection, there are 26 xylophones with wooden keyboards fixed to a main board, with several bridge boards placed between the wooden keys. These xylophones are resonated by calabashes (gourds) and do not produce a mirliton effect (the buzzing effect). Approximately half of these xylophones were given the vernacular name 'manza', according to ethnographic records. The manzas were owned by the chiefs and notables of the Azande people and were used in their court ceremonies.

Object dimension: 32 × 73 × 88cm, 3,2kg

Culture
Zande
Acquisition date
1932-08-04
Acquisition method
Donation
Acquisition location
Bitima, Lower Uele province