The celeste, formally known as the celesta, is a percussion instrument with a keyboard mechanism and is a French word for, heavenly. The celeste was made in Paris by Auguste Mustel, a Parisian organ maker in 1886 and he patented the celeste in 1887. It was then presented to the public in Paris in 1889. Tchaikovsky was one of the first composers to write a solo piece for the celeste which made it very well known to the public. He wrote, “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” as part of his Nutcracker Suite. The ballet then used his music which gained even more attraction for this new instrument.
“Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”, composed by Tchaikovsky
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=n_GgMIHLxMc&ab_channel=ShinoTakizawa
The piano and the glockenspiel are two instruments that are very comparable to the celeste. All three instruments are played by pushing down on a key to produce a sound. The glockenspiel has hard hammers that are made of either plastic or metal, which produces a more metallic and less mellow sound when struck. When you press a key on the celeste, it activates a hammer and the hammer strikes a metal chime bar which is suspended over a wooden resonating box. This sound is similar to one of the glockenspiel but the wooden resonators in the celeste allow for a warmer timber. The glockenspiel only has 3 or 4 octaves, while the celeste has 4 to 51/2 octaves. The piano is an instrument that most people today are familiar with. The piano and celeste both have a sustaining pedal which allows for smooth and connected sound qualites when used. One of the major differences between a piano and a celeste is that a celeste requires the player to use force to push down on a key to produce a note. On the piano, the player can change dynamics depending on how soft or hard they push on the key. However, on a celeste, the player has to use the same force on each key to produce a sound and it is usually unable to have a change in dynamics. Another difference between the piano and the celeste is the mechanics of the instrument. When a player hits a key on the piano, a hammer strikes down and hits a string that vibrates and produces a sound. When a player hits a key on the celeste, a hammer strikes down but hits a steel plate that vibrates to produce the sound.
The celeste has felt hammers, special steel plates, and wooden resonators. The wooden resonator underneath the sound plate allows for a warmer and heavenly tone to be created after the felt hammer strikes the steel plate. The wooden resonators suppress inharmonic partials that are produced by the vibrating steel plates which causes a clear and vibrant sound. The celeste is an idiophone because the felt hammer strikes down on the metal chime bar. An idiophone is any instrument where a solid object vibrates to produce sound. In this case, the metal chime bar is the solid object that vibrates once the felt hammer strikes down on it to produce the sound of the celeste.
With the celeste belonging to the percussion section, and to the keyboard family, there are an array of styles and genres it can be a part of. It is mainly used in orchestras but it is slowly becoming more popular in film and pop music. The celeste is used in all forms of music because it is usually played to portray the sound of water, light, mystery and magic. It became popular in operas by Puccini’s “Tosca” composed in 1900. It has also been used in jazz songs, and rock and pop songs by the Beatles and Pink Floyd. Musicals, commercials, and Christmas Songs can also incorporate a celeste. John Williams, a famous film score composer, uses the celeste in many of his movies. Some examples of repertoires where the celeste is featured are in, Gustave Holst’s “The Planets” in the last movement, “Neptune, the Mystic”, “Bolero” composed by Maurice Ravel, and Ernes Chausson’s, “La Tempete” which was composed in 1888 and was the first time a celeste was used in a chamber music setting.
Elianne Schiedmayer is the CEO of the Schiedmayer company which is the only manufacturer that makes celeste instruments in the world. She founded Schiedmayer Celestabau GmbH in 1995 and it is stationed in Germany. She is an influence on the world of music. All companies who have made celeste’s went out of business. However, Schiedmayer has been able to continue selling celeste’s and share this beautiful instrument with the world.
citations
Opera, Jendrik SpringerVienna State, et al. “Celesta – Instrument, History, Sound & More (2020).” Schiedmayer Celesta GmbH, 17 Mar. 2020, www.celesta-schiedmayer.de/en/celesta/all-about-the-celesta/.
Ballet, The Australian. “Meet the Instruments: The Celeste.” The Australian Ballet, australianballet.com.au/behind-ballet/meet-the-instruments-the-celeste.
“The Origins of the Celesta The Birth of the Celesta.” The Origins of the Celesta:The Birth of the Celesta – Musical Instrument Guide – Yamaha Corporation, www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/celesta/structure/.
“Elianne Schiedmayer.” NAMM.org, www.namm.org/library/oral-history/elianne-schiedmayer.
