The Celesta - The Sound of Heaven?

A history of the construction and usage of the 'heavenly', celestial instrument, the celesta, also known as the celeste!
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Script by Adam Smetana
Narrated by Oscar Osicki

[@InsidetheScore]

If you want to seriously work on your musicianship - your sight reading, ear training, and writing skills, then maybe check out my training program on exactly that. www.insidethescore.com/musicality Or my program specifically for composers: www.insidethescore.com/composers Hope you enjoy the holiday season, and this video!

[@arriandela]

I know, irritating.

[@xerohcool]

Man I can’t hear the sound with you talking over it! Let it play uninterrupted for a second at least.

[@TheVoogler]

Yeah lmao, usually youtubers are not in a hurry that much lmao

[@Dshork]

exactly that! good information in the video but so frustrating to watch. please just let the video be 2 minuted longer so we can experience the sound that you are describing!

[@GlutesEnjoyer]

Seriously!!! Like slow down a bit Jesus

[@brendanward2991]

Agreed. I found it very frustrating that he talked over every example so I couldn't hear the music.

[@hauntedhotdog]

Most KZbinrs seem to try and drag their videos out, but this guy seems to be in a hurry to get through it and just waterboards the audience with a deluge of exposition.

[@genmaicha_]

dude, could you like, let the instrument play without like, talking over it for like 30 seconds. feels like your in a hurry to finish the video, but that feeling is just the whole video

[@samsanimationcorner3820]

It's probably legal reasons, since he doesn't own any of the music, he'll get a copyright strike if any of it plays without him talking.

[@genmaicha_]

@@samsanimationcorner3820 surely you could compose and record your own celesta piece, even a simple one, and using a high quality sampler (kontakt) instead of a physical one if unavailable

[@teachmeguitar4149]

You should really edit this and put in a section where you are NOT TALKING over the instrument.

[@orlando1a1]

It would have been nice to have actually heard a piece played by this instrument in this video.

[@thehylian6984]

thank you, now i can click off

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Actually you were listening to Clair De Lune by Debussy played on a Celesta & it actually works.

[@Elven.]

Maybe next time you could show samples of the concept you're talking about, in between explanations, instead of talking over the sound. . I really wanted to get a feel of what you were talking about, but the speed of the video didn't let me appreciate it

[@ryantercho3989]

I literally couldn’t appreciate the timbre of the instrument whatsoever because you didn’t stop talking at any point while it was playing.

[@Crumphorn]

Did you really create a video piece about the Celesta and then not actually let us hear the damn thing because you're talking so much?

[@EpreTroll]

Seeing my cover used in a serious video about the instrument is a pleasant surprise :) I wish I had access to this instrument still, it was great playing it. The touch is so piano like for how little piano there is inside

[@brickstonesonn9276]

So weird to hear a Touhou track in this kind of video lmao. Touhou hijack!

[@vuonggiahuy3255]

That touhou sneak attack was a nice surprise

[@calmeilles]

Many of us wish we could have heard it!

[@semprefresco9723]

Fantastic video, but please leave more space to the music during the video so that i can hear what you’re talking about without having to search for every single song. As it is right now i can barely listen to these melodies because you’re talking over them. Apart from that, i love you’re videos, they’re a great way to spend some time on youtube.

[@FLOJo83]

The celesta in the 3rd movement of Shostakovich symphony no. 5 is so haunting and beautiful. I love the instrument!

[@ThomasDawkins88]

Shostakovich combines it with harp harmonics which sound completely "frozen" together. An absolutely brilliant moment of orchestration.

[@orgue2999]

Same in the last minutes of the 4th with the low thirds

[@colinslant]

"What do you think of when you hear this instrument?" I don't know, because I couldn't hear it, because you never stopped talking over it. Maybe just stop talking for a bit and let us actually hear the music you're talking about?

[@albertocabezas282]

For me, at tender age of 4 or 5 years old, the celesta was a beautiful kind of arp made of pure glass or ice. It's really a magical instrument.

[@ganiz2944]

I would really love to actually HEAR THE INSTRUMENT WITHOUT TALKING

[@Distagon76]

Dude, you're chitchatting all the time with no gaps to hear what you are essentially talking about..

[@zackbuildit88]

Honestly the celesta has an *amazing* soundfont and i love it so much

[@zackbuildit88]

@W soundfont is the quality and features of a sound, whether digital *or" physical

[@peterlean6631]

Would have been nice to actually hear it

[@herbcraven7146]

Speaking of its use for children's music, Johnny Costa, Mr. Rogers' music director and pianist, played the celesta regularly during the show, most often in the Neighborhood of Make Believe segments.

[@gavinfarkas283]

I was in a production of the Magic Flute in Pittsburgh and we used that celesta. Lovely little thing.

[@Tallicatilldeath]

Amazing video but seriously man, let us listen to the pieces. You’re talking above music all the time.

[@danterenzulli1724]

When I heard that excerpt from Mahler’s 8th, it felt like my body turned to crystal or something like that. That’s how beautiful it was. I have been trying to stay away from listening to that symphony on my own and instead waiting to hear it live in a concert hall. It therefore sounds like you spoiled it, and you did, but that’s OK. There’s so much more to hear from Mahler’s 8th. By the way, let me say that the rarity of the celesta is beyond unjust.

[@manueljoseblancamolinos8582]

Tchaikovsky utilizó la celestia en el poema sinfónico El Voyevoda, que destruyó después de su estreno. Luego la usó en El Cascanueces.

[@angelito2144]

Un dato curioso es que su descontento en El Voyevoda se debió a que trató la celesta como si fuera un piano, y después se dio cuenta de que el timbre de la celesta no funciona bien con muchas notas simultáneas, pasajes rápidos o cambios bruscos de armonía. Para El Cascanueces sin embargo escribió una pieza limpia y sencilla gracias a la cual se pudo apreciar el potencial sonoro del instrumento.

[@elliot_08]

"What do you think when you hear this instrument" Me trying to listen to it but can't think and listen to it with his voice talking over it:

[@grrlpurpleable]

Being so expensive and rare it saddens me that that so many never get to play a real celesta, myself included. A magical instrument that has captivated me since my first orchestral experiences. :) Lovely to see it featured here with such love and reverence :)

[@soarornor]

There are beautiful digital versions that sound extraordinary. Roland produced their Classics series of keyboards which came in many variations. The C-180, C-190, C-200, C-230 were really nice, portable digital keyboards that gave you exceptional sounding pipe organ, harpsichord, forte piano, chimes, and of course Celesta. The C-30 specializes in harpsichord but has two positive pipe organs, an amazing forte piano sound, lute, and more. Roland didn’t do very well with these and eventually sold off their recently acquired Rodger’s Organ division and stopped producing these keyboards. I own all these (except the C-190) and can attest to their excellence.

[@TheMikkis100]

6:27 Are you sure this isn't a jeu de timbre (keyboard glockenspiel)? It's a bit smaller and has a clearer sound.

[@nicholasz2510]

Yes- the instrument used in Mozart's time was a keyboard with bells inside, so effectively an older relative of celesta. I think it's a common misconception that they used glockenspiels with mallets for that piece lol

[@jayschwartz3203]

The combination of celesta and vibraphone, is also very beautiful,as in Vaughan Williams 8th symphony. And the passage for horn 2 piccolos and celesta in Ravel's Bolero, makes that work worth listening to.

[@patrikk.6585]

Great video, thank you. A few corrections though: at 3:00; Yamaha, Kolberg and Edmund Handy also produce celestas, not only Schiedmayer. And at 6:30; those parts are played on a keyboard glockenspiel, not a celesta.

[@eerenweihaas2551]

Amazing video. Another instrument I've never heard about but I'm so glad I just did!

[@WetaMantis]

Respighi's Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome are indeed a blessing. Go listen to it!

[@kaloarepo288]

Love the real life recording of the song of the nightingale which Respighi included in his "Pines of Rome" specifically the pines of the Villa Borghese.

[@DavidRLentz]

Joyously lovely!

[@JoseRivera-ym3wj]

Anyone interested in celesta music, especially if you're an anime fan, track down "Sailor Moon: Orgel Fantasia". It was my first exposure to celesta music and among the first experiences with the original Japanese soundtrack of the anime, which is way different from the original American release from the 90s.

[@GARYINLEEDS]

Thanks for sharing, shared.

[@jeremygriffin620]

Video producer breathlessly never stops speaking for beyond the first minute of a video about an instrument. Never allowing them instrument to speak for itself and simply be heard by itself for over a minute of the video.

[@SJR_Media_Group]

*_The Celesta has a hauntingly beautiful sound. Not sure it is 'Heavenly', but definitely not the opposite._* Now I know which instrument was played in Nutcracker. It is so unique that only need to hear a few notes and immediately can point to Nutcracker's magical instrument.

[@WetaMantis]

I would also like to point out the keyboard Glockenspiel is not the same in it's construction as the Celesta. The Celesta is more equivalent to a keyboard vibraphone with felt hammers, the glockenspiel has no felt hammers I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong I have only theoretical knowledge on that subject). kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4e8qYSVeMh1jZo Here you can hear the difference. For example I prefer "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" from the Magic Flute played on a Glockenspiel, much more percussive.

[@angelito2144]

I completely agree. Some conductors consider that glockenspiel and celesta are interchangeable (specially in The Magic Flute), but the truth is that they're not intended for the same kind of work. The lack of felt hammers and wood resonators makes the glockenspiel a completely different instrument with different purpose and results.

[@georgeharteman4083]

An eye (ear) opener for me. thanks

[@DashieDe]

Why haven't I heard of this instrument?! It's awesome🤩

[@erikbihari3625]

Gotta go fast!

[@almeisam]

My favorite piece featuring the celesta is "On the Trail" from "Grand Canyon Suite".

[@richardodonnell7465]

Totally agree. Such a beautiful solo. Made me fall in love with the celesta in the first place.

[@njiroo]

Hopefully this video puts a spotlight on the Celesta, its personally my favorite instrument to experiment with.

[@DarioRamosMaldonado]

Hermoso instrumento.

[@thomaspaul311]

Thank you for pointing out how oblivious I have been. Liked.

[@MiloPaulus]

The most magical of all. That's for sure. Immediately evokes that heavenly atmosphere.

[@yastraver]

For everybody who wants to hear the celesta without someone talking over it, you might want to check out Celia García García who recorded an actual album with piano music on celesta.

[@alexc8512]

Pretty sound. Light.

[@lagboi4539]

I remember playing one of these in our Big Band's rehearsal room and I had to be careful with it, but damn it sounded nice.

[@delstanley1349]

If you don't mind sneaking in a little rock, the original "Everyday" by Buddy Holly features the celesta. At about the one minute mark of the track (see on KZbin) there is a celesta "solo" used as the bridge. If you've never heard this old track before you may think it is a missing track from "The Nutcracker." It charted high back in the day. Also charting high (number one in several countries) in the rock world way-back was "Rhythm of the Rain" by the Cascades. The celesta is used for the sound of water as in rain drops. Try a listen. Cute!

[@cjjones258]

What a magical instrument🎹🪄

[@JD..........]

This instrument deserves this video! Well done.

[@foljs5858]

it also deserves to be heard... this video talks all over the celesta

[@Peter-x2exz]

The celesta never did anything wrong to this guy...I don't know what the celesta did to deserve this video.

[@RedCaio]

John Williams is a genius

[@PointyTailofSatan]

Schnittke also makes use of the celesta a lot, often in solo passages.

[@fretnesbutke3233]

There's some important differences between the celesta and the glockenspiel. Not only is the method of playing different, which will affect the nature of the music composed for either,but the Glock is louder and more incisive, appropriate for fairly loud,thick passages,while celesta is appropriate for much thinner,delicate scoring.

[@peev2]

So the Fender Rhodes is basically an electric celesta.

[@InsidetheScore]

Yes, that's the subject of the next video

[@Peter-x2exz]

@@InsidetheScore great, so would you please pause for at least half a second to allow us to actually hear it without you motormouthing the entire video??

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Merci.

[@danielkimble4085]

You keep referring to “Harry Potter”, “E.T.”, and “Home Alone”. You did discover who composed those themes, yes? John Williams. One cannot mention those three pieces without mentioning the composer.

[@TheAngelsHaveThePhoneBox]

I mean, the guy did plenty of videos about John Williams, so he is aware for sure. I also found it strange he never mentioned him here but maybe he assumed _everyone_ watching his videos knows these three soundtracks are the work of John Williams, lol.

[@danielkimble4085]

@@TheAngelsHaveThePhoneBox Oh, see! This is the first of this guy’s videos the algorithm has put in front of me. I was unaware he had other videos on Williams’ works. I’ll have to go through his archive and watch those. Thanks for sharing!

[@lovelynotes3065]

You deserve way more views because the quality of your content is outstanding

[@Distagon76]

It would be the case if he'd shut up at least for a moment, no gaps for music, lol

[@lovelynotes3065]

@@Distagon76 but 3784 views doesn't feel right

[@samaritan29]

the dude hasn't made an original video in months, all of their scripts have been outsourced

[@margaretcain3223]

TAKE A BREATH ONCE IN A WHILE, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE !!!

[@kenkappler9352]

At 2:37 your comment concerning the size and weight of hammers on a piano is totally incorrect. The the bass hammers are 4-5 times the mass of the treble hammers and the size and weight is graduated across the entire scale of the instrument. The writer of this scrip should take a look inside a piano sometim

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

I loved the sound of a celesta in high school. Heavenly, indeed.

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

And Mozart BTW wrote a lovely piece for Glass 'Armonica. It would also sound excellent on Celesta.

[@nodarikirtadze8220]

So, St.Saens' Aquarium is a Celesta as well

[@matejpodstensek]

There is no celesta in the score of Aquarium, but since glass harmonica is an even rarer instrument, it is replaced by the celesta in some recordings. The high notes at the beginning are just a piano, though.

[@bearcb]

Stravinsky also, missed a mention

[@moisessan1]

Suena..como una cajita de musica

[@a_bush]

" the possibilities on the Celesta are much more varied for example this keyboard allows not only single strokes but also entire scale runs, glissandi, arpeggios, as well as large-scale chords" _CHALLENGE ACCEPTED_

[@danielherrin]

Merry Christmas Inside the Score

[@jpavlvs]

What? No mention of Everyday by Buddy Holly? How a Celesta found its way to Norman Petty's studio in Clovis is a mystery.

[@happygotlucky4309]

What is the difference between a Celesta and keyed Glockenspiel?

[@salif130]

what is the website at 1:00 that shows the list of composers?

[@francelonelo9187]

2:29 what music is this? very appreciated if you can tell me.

[@nishant2279]

Here you go. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2i6dpKtl9OlqKc

[@nishant2279]

Can someone tell me the name of the piece that starts at 2:26. Thanks

[@lumengarden1536]

It's Junko's theme from the video game Touhou 15: Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom

[@MiScusi69]

Nice video!

[@bahamut404]

As a bassoonist, I would greatly appreciate a video like this for the gentleman and fool of the orchestra, the bassoon.

[@itznoxy7193]

luv me sum farting bedpost

[@shadyone6620]

3:31 I understand it's just non-illustrative video, but the idea that Tchakovsky wrote to his friend in Russia in Arabic...

[@christopherd6399]

I wonder if I could make one.

[@zeenohaquo7970]

celestial indeed

[@tarasubramaniam6191]

Too much talking ..submerges the onstrumrnt of Heaven.. So no Hairy potter without the Celesta??

[@theressamurphy2996]

How much does it cost?

[@ildefonsogiron4034]

Whenever I hear about the celesta, Tchaikovsky's The nut cracker comes to my mind, not that Potter you mention.

[@Johnadams20760]

mozart's fulte and harp concerto sounds like heaven and pinao sonatoa 21 does as well

[@francescoborghini7669]

Se la Celesta è il suono del Paradiso... allora preferisco andare all'inferno!! Scherzo, dai! È fantastica!!

[@cr8207]

2:06 “in 1886, Victors son - Auguste” /shows picture of Alphonse/

[@OldMovieRob]

Williams definitely put the celesta to use in many of is scores, notably to me would be the score to Always, an unfortunately lesser-appreciated score from 1989.

[@bloodyplebs]

The way you pronounce Ильич makes me cry.

[@chloroxiphite]

Shostakovich 4!

[@thepseudowhite]

Nice info, keep up your work ^^!

[@dennisoconnor4387]

Love this instrument!

[@shayanyadegari811]

wow😍 It's like a xylophone on the piano!

[@Peter-x2exz]

it's literally NOTHING like that

[@kd5txo]

think of trying to listen to a quiet and delicate instrument while an overloud announcer quizzes you while eating a microphone......

[@dirtcop11]

Before I lost my hearing I heard ice shattering and breaking. It sounded a lot like the celesta. Of course, it was small pieces of ice.

[@kamalkrishnabaral]

yo. I got at start. Beautiful video.

[@andrewc4606]

Doesn't Saint-Saëns use the Celesta in the carnival of animals Aquarium movement?

[@qara_ch]

Oh, hello there Touhou!

[@adrianc2463]

Hard to say but it's kind of disappointing that some of us are unable to know how it really sounds although we may have heard it before without knowing its real name... If only you'd give a few minutes to let us hear one or two examples of how it sounded without any interruptions, then this documentation would be perfect.

[@ferretyluv]

I just think of the dance of the sugar plum fairy. You can imitate it with a glockenspiel.

[@x-odeproject9161]

c'est moi ou c'est une musique de touhou project à 2 min 53 ?

[@peterstratten3087]

Bloody hell he can talk

[@douglasclerk2764]

... and talk and talk . .

[@koantao8321]

Very entertaining video. I didn't even know this instrument existed and I always wondered how the sound was produced in 19th century music.

[@steadypace7224]

Reminds me of being in a lift.

[@lp-xl9ld]

"The Heavenly Instrument"...funny, I always thought that was the harp

[@markeaton2003]

The Things Seven Minutes From Heaven. Please check it out. It is seven minutes.

[@classiclover2129]

I WASN'T EXPECTING TOUHOU WHEN I CLICKED THE VIDEO I must say I'm not disappointed xD

[@themiddle8]

One suspects that he perceives his voice is the sound of heaven.

[@_rstcm]

Plz make a video on Respighi. His musical and orchestral genius should be more popular.