Instruments A to Z Monday, July 20, 2015
Welcome to month #3 of “Instruments A to Z“! As promised, the instruments presented will not be common ones. The first instrument is an electronic instrument called a croix sonore. A prototype of this Nicolai Obukhov invention was built in France in 1926 by Pierre Dauvillier. It functioned along the same lines as a theremin. Obukhov wrote music for the croix sonore which was played by one of his students, Marie-Antoinette Aussenac-Broglie. Next are the Candombe drums, actually a set of three to four drums. Each of the drums has its own size, voice, and function in the ensemble. Last is the celesta, in instrument that is just over 100 years old. It was invented in 1886 by Auguste Mustel. It is a small keyboard instrument most famously used by Tschaikovsky in The Nutcracker’s “The Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy“. A concert band arrangement of Harry Potter movie themes also uses a celesta at the beginning of the piece for “Hedwig’s Theme”. Contact us at 1-800-42-MUSIC, email us at keyboard@stantons.com, or visit our website if you have questions or if you are looking for something special. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!
