Difference between revisions of "Celesta"
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| − | + | [[Image:Celesta.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A celesta]] | |
| + | A '''celesta''' or '''celeste''' ([[France|French]]: ''heavenly'') is a percussion instrument with a piano-like keyboard, connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of steel plates suspended over wooden resonators. When struck, the plates give a very pure, bell-like sound very similar to that of the [[glockenspiel]], but with a softer tone quality. A foot pedal is used to sustain or dampen the sound. | ||
| − | + | Invented in [[Paris]] in 1889 by Auguste Mustel, the first known use of the instrument in a symphonic work for full orchestra is [[Pyotr Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky's]] ''The Voyevoda'' (1891); the following year he used it again for his ballet ''The Nutcracker'' (1892), notably in the "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy", perhaps the most widely recognized use of the instrument. | |
| − | Like other | + | Like other [[metallophone]]s, it is a part of the percussion section, but is usually played by a pianist rather than percussionist. |
[[Category:Musical Instrument]] | [[Category:Musical Instrument]] | ||
Revision as of 09:04, June 7, 2007
A celesta or celeste (French: heavenly) is a percussion instrument with a piano-like keyboard, connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of steel plates suspended over wooden resonators. When struck, the plates give a very pure, bell-like sound very similar to that of the glockenspiel, but with a softer tone quality. A foot pedal is used to sustain or dampen the sound.
Invented in Paris in 1889 by Auguste Mustel, the first known use of the instrument in a symphonic work for full orchestra is Tchaikovsky's The Voyevoda (1891); the following year he used it again for his ballet The Nutcracker (1892), notably in the "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy", perhaps the most widely recognized use of the instrument.
Like other metallophones, it is a part of the percussion section, but is usually played by a pianist rather than percussionist.