Saron
/ˈsɑːrɒn/noun
A metallophone consisting of bronze bars, used in Indonesian gamelan orchestras.
Did you know?In a gamelan ensemble, the saron commonly carries the core melody while players damp each bar immediately after striking it, creating its distinctive shimmering rhythm.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-modern period
Javanese
saron
“Name for a keyed metallophone used in Javanese musical tradition; the deeper origin of the term is uncertain.”
18th–19th Century
Javanese
saron
“Established instrument name within court and village gamelan ensembles.”
19th Century
Dutch
saron
“Borrowed term used in European descriptions of Javanese and Indonesian music.”
20th Century
English
saron
“Loanword for the Indonesian metallophone, especially in ethnomusicological writing.”
Modern English
English
saron
“A bronze-bar percussion instrument forming part of a gamelan orchestra.”