TCHAIKOVSKY used the production of The Nutcracker to introduce a newly invented instrument to audiences: the celesta. Created by Auguste Mustel, Tchaikovsky had discovered it in France just before departing for the U.S., and was immediately captivated by its "divinely beautiful tone.'' He had his publisher, Pyotr Jurgenson, order the instrument, swearing him to secrecy "lest Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov get wind of it and manage to make use of its unusual effect before I do."
You can hear the unique sound of the celesta during the Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy in the holiday classic:
The Nutcracker
(ABT/Baryshnikov) |
