The Celesta (
IPA ) is a struck
idiophone operated by a
keyboard. Its appearance is very similar to that of a
piano. The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal (usually steel) plates suspended over wooden
resonators. There is a pedal to sustain or dampen the sound.The sound of the celesta is akin to that of the
glockenspiel, but with a much softer
timbre. This quality gave rise to the instrument's name, celeste meaning "heavenly" in
French.The celesta is a
transposing instrument, sounding one octave higher than written. The original French instrument had a five-octave range, but as the lowest octave was considered somewhat unsatisfactory, it was omitted from later models. Ironically, the standard French four-octave instrument is now gradually being replaced in
symphony orchestras by a larger, five-octave
German model. Although treated as a member of the
percussion section in orchestral terms, it is usually played by a
pianist, the part being normally written on two bracketed staves.
See more at Wikipedia.org...
Free Download Now!
