Celesta

Celesta (Fr. célesta), 1. keyboard metallophone in form of a small upright piano, invented by Auguste Mustel of Paris and patented on June 15, 1886, a successor to the *clavi-lame, with steel bars suspended over box-shaped wooden resonators and struck by piano hammers. The bars are equipped with dampers controlled by a pedal. Originally made with a 4-oct. compass from c1, notated an oct. lower, now made with a 5-oct. compass and provided with an additional soft pedal. An orchestral instr.; 2…