Many of you don't know this, but our company founders, Sylvia and Mack Perry, were the first people in the United States to import Orff Instruments for sale in America. In fact, they are responsible for launching all three of the acknowledged major brands of Orff Instruments into the US Educational Market.
Although it seems like a long ago now, the Perry's partnership with the Bergerault family, began in 1974 with an international search to find Orff Instruments that could match the quality and merit the guarantee the Perry's placed on the instruments they, themselves, manufactured. The beginning of their partnership with the Bergerault family marked the achievement of this goal.
As a world-renowned manufacturer of the finest professional keyboard mallet percussion instruments - marimbas, xylophones, vibraphones, orchestra bells and concert chimes - Bergerault was, and continues to be, and uniquely suited to make Orff Instruments of unsurpassed quality. They incorporate many of the same world class standards employed in the manufacture of their professional instruments into their Orff products.
Here are some of the reasons that Peripole-Bergerault® Orff Instruments are of unparallelled quality:
All Peripole-Bergerault® Orff Instruments Feature: 1) Optimal bar dimensions for the best possible sound. This usually means a wider, thicker and longer bar size, which, in turn, means greater cost to manufacture. The reward for this is a sweeter richer tone that is easily audible to the discerning ear. 2) Frames designed for greatest durability, function,and ease of handling. 3) Special synthetic rubber bar supports that will not decompose in temperature extremes as is common in other brands.
4) Solid Steel bar pins and guides, covered with high quality synthetic rubber sleeves.
Xylophones: 1) The wood used for the bars of Peripole-Bergerault® Xylophones is a special high grade of Rosewood, carefully selected for its quality and its superior sound-producing properties. This is altogether a superior wood to that used in most other brands. Peripole-Bergerault rosewood is aged a minimum of six years before it is used, and then it is further, gradually de-humidified in a hermetically sealed chamber to attain the equivalent of ten years of natural aging. We only use the superior heartwood and never the inferior cortex wood. All of these factors mean that Peripole-Bergerault Xylophone bars cost more to produce, which is one reason that they are such a bargain. 2) All Diatonic xylophones include solid wood side-mounting boxes to hold F# and Bb bars, a feature that is at additional cost when available on most other brands of Orff Instruments. 3) Resonator boxes are constructed of solid hardwood covered on the outside with veneer so they can be safely wiped with a wet cloth.
Metallophones: 1) The bars on Peripole-Bergerault® Metallophones are made from a special proprietary aluminum alloy that is responsible for the sound that has made Bergerault® Vibraphones the choice of top musicians, Universities and Symphony Orchestras throughout the world. In addition the bar dimensions of the Bergerault Metallophones create an even dark sound throughout the entire range that is highly sought after. 2) Dampers as standard equipment on all Peripole-Bergerault® Metallophones when others make them available for an add on fee. The Bergerault Dampers also use vibraphone quality thick felt and can be applied with variable pressure. 3) Resonator boxes are constructed of solid hardwood covered on the outside with veneer so they are washable., 4) All Diatonic xylophones include solid wood side-mounting boxes to hold F# and Bb bars, a feature that is at additional cost when available on most other brands of Orff Instruments.
Glockenspiels:
Peripole-Bergerault is the only brand to make two types of Orff Instrument Glockenspiels to cater to different needs and tastes. Both feature distinctively superior bars. Peripole-Bergerault® Glockenspiel bars are made of high quality chromed steel. Most other brands use plain steel or even aluminum for bar material. Some use the lower quality nickel-plated steel for a similar appearance but a shorter lifespan to the finish.
The two types of Peripole-Bergerault® Orff Instrument Glockenspiels are the "Wide Bar" and the "Classic" Models. The Wide Bar model features a wider bar width, the advantages of which are easier-to-target bars for younger players and a sweeter sound that is treasured in Professional Model Orchestra Bells. The Classic model has a brighter sound that cuts through the Orff Ensemble as a melody instrument that is easier to distinguish from the other Orff Instruments present. The latter quality is often prized among leading Orff Educators.
Junior Professional ™ Orff Instruments:
Peripole-Bergerault has been a pioneer in many things. In the field of Professional Concert Percussion, Bergerault was the first company to commercially manufacture: the Modern Bass Marimba, The Four Octave Vibraphone, Orchestra Bells on a stand with resonator tubes and a foot damper, Concert Chimes with a positive dampening system, and the Bass Vibe hybrid Bass Marimba/Vibraphone. All of these innovations were created to meet the specific needs of leading percussionists and Symphony Conductors.
It is no wonder then, that in the 1970's they developed, manufactured, and began marketing Chromatic Orff Instruments with intrinsic built-in stands and tubular resonators. The metallophones also featured a foot-pedal damper, like a vibraphone. Today, we refer to these instruments as Junior Professional™ Orff Instruments because they make an ideal transition from the Orff Instruments to Professional Keyboard Percussion Instruments. They also enable the advanced Orff Ensemble to play music requiring chromatic capabilities, and have been hailed as "instruments of choice" by leading Orff Music Educators throughout the United States and the World.
Besides their ability to be used for literature requiring the chromatic instrument capability, these instruments also allow for nearly perfect equality of resonance between bars, something simply not possible in normal Orff Instruments, where bars must share a resonation chamber. Also the damper pedals on the Metallophones enable the student musician to have an early experience with pedaling as is done on a vibraphone.
We are very proud of the quality of our Orff Instruments, and also that through direct sales to schools, that we are able to offer these highest quality Orff Instruments to schools at excellent prices. We subscribe to the philosophy that when it comes to Orff Instruments, quality cannot be sacrificed for price. But we also strive to make excellent quality available for a fair and reasonable price. We encourage and welcome your further inqueries and questions about these instruments. Contact us online at contact@peripole.com or at 800-443-3592.