Xala

XALA

The Xala is a unique instrument which is played by dancing. It is a magical, resonant body with which, Ania Losinger, creates a fascinating synthesis of music and dance.
The artist brings this primarily acoustic instrument to life using flamenco shoes and two long poles.
New ideas and concepts have been developed during Ania’s long-term collaboration with musician and composer, Mats Eser, which began in 2005 and gave rise to a series of compositions, concerts and music-theater productions that are currently being performed internationally.
Today, three versions of the Xala exist which differ in size and timbre. Since its invention in 1998/99 they have been built by the inventor and instrument maker, Hamper von Niederhäusern.
More about the Instruments

The Name Xala

The name XALA is derived from the Basque percussion instrument txalaparta. Two or more wooden boards are placed side by side to form a txalaparta and played by two people facing each other with thick sticks held vertically. However, apart from the name and the vertically held sticks, our xala has no direct connection with the Basque instrument.
Xala generally stands for an instrument built of chiming bars and sounding plates made of wood, aluminum, stone, glass or concrete which can carry a person, resonate acoustically and which can be transported or installed permanently.

Hamper von Niederhäusern

Hamper von Niederhäusern, born in Burgdorf (Switzerland) in 1946, gained his first experience of craftsmanship in his grandfather’s workshop and in the fields in Pohlern (Stockental, Bern), and dreamed of one day building an instrument. He trained as an artistic blacksmith at the LWB vocational school in Bern. After working in Bern, Fribourg, and Zurich, he set up his own metalworking workshop in Kaiserstuhl, where he designs and produces furniture and metalwork for construction projects. After furthering his education as an autodidact, he built his first fundamental and overtone-tuned bars for xylophones and marimbas in 1986. He opened his own instrument-making studio, VONIE, which laid the groundwork for the development and construction of the first XALA.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)