Celeste

The celeste (or, most often, celesta) is a small relative of the piano, invented in France in 1886. Its central mechanism features steel bars struck by key-operated hammers, in the manner of a piano. Its tone is precise and bell-like, yet not without a mysterious quality. Among its first exponents was Tchaikovsky, who used it in the Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairies in the Nutcracker. Numerous twentieth-century scores employ the instrument, which also has a substantial following among jazz keyboardists. The celeste occasionally is heard on rock recordings and those in other pop genres.

Keyboard Instruments