Celesta
Struck idiophone operated by a keyboard
Summary
The celesta or celeste, also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to a four- or five-octave upright piano, albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music box (three-octave). The keys connect to hammers that strike a graduated set of metal plates or bars suspended over wooden resonators. Four- or five-octave models usually have a damper pedal that sustains or damps the sound. The three-octave instruments do not have a pedal because of their small "table-top" design. One of the best-known works that uses the celesta is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from The Nutcracker.
Originally created by Merphant
5/22/2002, 1:26:21 AM
Modified
5/22/2026, 1:08:35 PM
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