In 1934, Clair Omar Musser
began to organize his 100-piece marimba ensemble known
as the International Marimba Symphony Orchestra (IMSO).
Musser coordinated all activities of the ensemble, including
auditioning the players, arranging the music, and designing
the unique King George marimba, which was built by the
J. C. Deagan company expressly for the IMSO.
Only 102 King George marimbas were built: 100 for each
member of the orchestra, one for Musser himself, and one
as a spare. The marimbas were also personalized for the
performers. Each was adjusted to the height of the individual
player and each featured the name of the member engraved
on the gold British coat-of-arms on the front of the instrument.
The PAS marimba is number 97 of the 102 instruments made.
The range is four octaves from F (below middle C) to f4.
It has brass end posts, and the brass resonators have
three height adjustments for adapting the instrument to
different temperatures. |
Mallets custom made for the IMSO
with cork and yard wrapping on rattan handles
Donated by David P. Eyler |
