The
glockenspiel is a percussion
instrument with a set of tuned metal plates, laid out like a piano keyboard, and
struck with a pair of small hammers. The term is German, meaning play
bells (Glocken = bells, spiel = play).
The glockenspiel originates from Indonesia, from where it was brought into the Netherlands in the 1650s, and from there it spread over Europe. It was used by Handel in 1739.