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Celesta/Celeste Music Box
By Bill Wineburgh

Ah, what a difference an 'A' makes.   [ Re inquiry in Digest 97.12.31 ]

There is a Celeste and there is a Celesta.  Both are German-made.  I
can tell you a bit about each, then Steven can tell us which one it is.

Celeste -- Manufactured by Charles F. Pietschmann & Sohn, Berlin,
Germany, one of the first mechanical music manufacturers outside of
Leipzig.  They also made organettes including the Herophone.  The
Celeste was marketed by Heinrich Hermann, also of Berlin.  The discs
say Celeste and have a distinctive trademark on them that consists of a
beetle over two interlinked 5-spoke wheels and a banner reading
'trademark'.  Disc diameter of 11" (28 cm).

Celesta -- Manufactured by Berlin Musik-Instrumenten-Fabrik (Berlin,
Germany) during the 1980's; a later name of Peitchmann's company.
While made in Berlin, the discs are marked 'Made in Leipzig'.  One
model has 11-3/8" diameter discs (29 cm).  Celestas also have a lovely
color lithgraphic lid picture containing a seated woman to the left and
European tortoise-shell butterflies to the right.

So, Steven, based on this, is it a Celeste, or a Celesta?

Bill Wineburgh
WWineburgh@aol.com


(Message sent Thu 1 Jan 1998, 22:15:11 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Box, Celesta/Celeste, Music

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