The Celesta

A truly “heavenly” instrument

Today there are hardly any orchestras, operas, music conservatories, theaters or broadcasting studios without the heavenly sound of the Celesta. The musical instrument Celesta (also called “celeste”), which was invented in 1886 in Paris by Charles-Victor Mustel, has delighted the world of music for over 130 years with its unique sound, and inspires people over and over again. The Celesta became world famous for its part in the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from the Nutcracker Suite by P.I. Tchaikovsky, who got to know the instrument in 1891 during his stay in Paris and immediately fell in love with its magical sound.

The extraordinary sound generation with felt hammers, steel sound plates and wooden resonators is still unique today and Schiedmayer Celesta GmbH is the only company in the world that manufactures the Celesta.

The Celesta (from the French “cèleste” meaning “heavenly”) is not limited to the sound of the Romantic period but is also used in chamber music ensembles, in pop, rock and jazz music, and often in film music. The unmistakable sound of the Celesta has enchanted movie-goers in blockbuster films such as “Harry Potter”, “Star Wars” and “La La Land”.

Unique Sound

 

Schiedmayer, which was already producing concert grand pianos, harmoniums and upright pianos, began making Celestas as early as 1890. Schiedmayer continually developed and improved the Celesta and decided in 1980 to specialize solely in the production and sale of Celestas. Since the company Mustel (Paris) terminated its production of Celestas in 1975, Schiedmayer is the only manufacturer of the Celesta in the world according to the original specifications of the inventor.

All Celestas from our manufacture are handmade, unique and 100% made in Germany. Even the wood and all materials used in the process are sourced in Germany. Sustainability is very important to us; none of our materials or components are derived from endangered animal or plant species.

Schiedmayer Celesta in the Stuttgart State Opera

Quality: 100% Made in Germany

Manufacture of celestas since 1890

Celesta models – overview

Model Overview of our Celestas

Sound Clips

Be Inspired by the Sound of the Celesta Instrument

Schiedmayer

Manufacturer of keyboard instruments for over 285 years

Balthasar Schiedmayer built his first clavichord in Erlangen as early as 1735. His grandson Johann Lorenz Schiedmayer founded the company Schiedmayer together with Carl Dieudonné in 1809 in Stuttgart. The art of building pianos, harmoniums and celestas was passed down from generation to generation. Since 1980, the family business has focused exclusively on the production and sale of the finest quality celesta instruments (in some countries called “celeste instrument”), keyboard glockenspiels and built-in celestas / glockenspiels. There are currently four different celesta models for sale.

Today, there is hardly an orchestra, opera house, theater, music conservatory or recording studio without a Schiedmayer instrument. Here a small selection of renowned orchestras and venues: Berliner Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Juilliard School of Music New York, Vienna State Opera, Opèra National de Paris, Shanghai Opera House and the Bolshoi Theater.

Company history

SCHIEDMAYER –  since 1735 in the service of music

The celesta video

Invention, Action mechanism, Manufacturing

Manufactory

Building the celesta…

Service and maintenance

So your Celesta remains ready to play

News & Events

Schiedmayer Keyboard Glockenspiel
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Celesta Special Edition with black textured finish
CELESTINA 3 ½ octave (f1-c5) tilt view
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Keyboard Glockenspiel
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