Editing Celesta (section)

== Use in other musical genres ==
=== Jazz ===
Since [[Earl Hines]] took it up in 1928, other [[jazz pianist]]s have occasionally used the celesta as an alternative instrument. In the 1930s, [[Fats Waller]] sometimes played celesta with his right hand and piano simultaneously with his left hand. Other notable jazz pianists who occasionally played the celesta include [[Memphis Slim]], [[Meade "Lux" Lewis]], [[Willie "The Lion" Smith]], [[Art Tatum]], [[Duke Ellington]], [[Thelonious Monk]], [[Buddy Greco]], [[Oscar Peterson]], [[McCoy Tyner]], [[Sun Ra]], [[Keith Jarrett]], and [[Herbie Hancock]]. A celesta provides the introduction to ''Someday You'll Be Sorry'', a song [[Louis Armstrong]] recorded for [[RCA]], and is featured prominently throughout the piece.{{citation needed|date=January 2012}} A celesta is used by the pianist [[Russ Freeman (pianist)|Russ Freeman]] on tracks from [[Chet Baker Sings]] (such as ''My Ideal'' and ''[[I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)]]''). A number of recordings [[Frank Sinatra]] made for [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] in the [[1940s in music|1940s]] feature the instrument (for instance ''[[I'll Never Smile Again]]''),<ref>{{cite web |title=All or Nothing at All: A Life of Frank Sinatra (Chapter 3 The Band Singer) |url=http://www.donaldclarkemusicbox.com/all-or-nothing/detail.php?c=4 |website=www.donaldclarkemusicbox.com |access-date=3 March 2024}}</ref> as do many of his albums recorded for [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] in the 1950s (''[[In the Wee Small Hours]]'', ''[[Close to You (Frank Sinatra album)|Close to You]]'' and ''[[Songs for Swingin' Lovers]]'').<ref>"[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/in-the-wee-small-hours-frank-sinatra-19691231 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, 100/500: In the Wee Small Hours – Frank Sinatra] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527181018/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/in-the-wee-small-hours-frank-sinatra-19691231 |date=2012-05-27 }}", ''RollingStone.com''.</ref>

The use of celesta in jazz rapidly declined with the advent of the [[vibraphone]].

=== Rock and pop ===
<!--PLEASE NOTE: This is /not/ meant to be a comprehensive list. If there are any other truly notable examples, please use the talk page to drop a note/discuss FIRST before adding them.-->
Notable pop and rock songs recorded with the celesta include:
* "[[Ain't No Mountain High Enough]]" by [[Marvin Gaye]] and [[Tammi Terrell]]
* "[[Jethro Tull – The String Quartets]]" by [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]] 
* "[[Rhythm of the Rain]]" by [[The Cascades (band)|The Cascades]]
* "As If You Read My Mind" by [[Stevie Wonder]]
* "[[Everyday (Buddy Holly song)|Everyday]]" by [[Buddy Holly]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Everyday by Buddy Holly |url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2492 |website=www.songfacts.com |date= |access-date= |archive-date=21 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821182736/http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2492 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* "[[Baby It's You]]" as recorded by [[The Beatles]]<ref>{{cite web |title="Baby It's You" by The Beatles. The in-depth story behind the songs of the Beatles. Recording History. Songwriting History. Song Structure and Style |url=http://www.beatlesebooks.com/baby-its-you |website=www.beatlesebooks.com |date= |access-date=3 March 2024}}</ref>
* "[[Girl Don't Tell Me]]" by [[The Beach Boys]]
* "[[Cherish (The Association song)|Cherish]]" by [[The Association]] 
* "[[Sunday Morning (The Velvet Underground song)|Sunday Morning]]" and "[[Stephanie Says]]" by [[The Velvet Underground]]<ref>{{cite web |title=CREEM ONLINE: Lou Reed — Sunday Morning |url=http://www.creemmagazine.com/_site/BeatGoesOn/LouReed/SundayMorning001.html |access-date= |date=2 November 2009 |archive-date=2 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091102072948/http://www.creemmagazine.com/_site/BeatGoesOn/LouReed/SundayMorning001.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* "Wee Baby Blues" by [[Climax Blues Band]]
* "[[Northern Sky]]" by [[Nick Drake]]
* "[[Maggie May]]" and "[[Mine for Me]]" by [[Rod Stewart]]
* "New York City" by [[Owl City]]
* "[[Raw Power|Penetration]]" by [[The Stooges]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Iggy Pop keeps Stooges raw, real |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2010/08/27/iggy-pop-keeps-stooges-raw-real/ |website=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date= |date=27 August 2010}}</ref>
* "[[Novocaine for the Soul]]", "Flyswatter", "Trouble with Dreams" and many other songs by [[Eels (band)|Eels]]
* "[[Every Single Night]]" by [[Fiona Apple]]
* "[[Tarkus (song)|Tarkus]]" by [[Emerson, Lake & Palmer]]
* "Here Today" by [[Illinois Speed Press]]
* "Love is a Beautiful Thing" by [[Vulfpeck]]
* "Queen of Them All" by [[Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young]]
*"[[Wuthering Heights (song)|Wuthering Heights]]" by [[Kate Bush]]
*"Lost Track" by [[HAIM (band)]]
*"[[Figure of Eight (song)|Figure of Eight]]" by [[Paul McCartney]]
* "Too Much Sea Between Us" by [[Procol Harum]]
* "Bells of the Evening" by [[Gordon Lightfoot]] (celesta played by Nick DeCaro)
* "[[Love Makes the World Go 'Round (Deon Jackson song)|Love Makes the World Go Round]]" by [[Deon Jackson (singer)|Deon Jackson]]
* "[[Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun]]" by [[Pink Floyd]]
* "[[Vespertine]]" album by [[Björk]]
* "[[La marche de l'empereur]]" by [[Émilie Simon]]

Icelandic band [[Sigur Rós]] included celesta on their album ''[[Takk...]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Takk... documentary |url=http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/band/disco/takk-documentary.php |website=sigur-ros.co.uk |access-date= |date= |archive-date=9 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509193307/http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/band/disco/takk-documentary.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> as did lead singer [[Jónsi]] on ''[[Go Quiet]]'', the acoustic version of his solo album ''Go''. [[Steven Wilson]] also uses it on various tracks in his solo works.

The Italian 1970s [[progressive rock]] band Celeste was named after the instrument.

[[Bruce Springsteen]] and the [[E Street Band]] used a celesta heavily in their early days, with [[Danny Federici]] often playing a Jenco Celestette in the band's live performances throughout the 1970s and 80s.

[[Sheryl Crow]] plays celesta on her 2017 album, ''[[Be Myself]]''.<ref>{{Discogs release|10378122|Be Myself}} accessed 3 March 2024</ref>

The band [[A-ha]] used, among other instruments, a Jenco celesta during their [[MTV Unplugged: Summer Solstice]] performances, recorded and released in 2017.

=== Soundtrack ===
The celesta has been common in cinema for decades. In addition to supplementing numerous soundtrack orchestrations for films from the [[1930s in film|1930s]] through to the [[1960s in film|1960s]], the celesta has occasionally been spotlighted to invoke a whimsical air. For example, in ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' (1940), a small motif on the celesta is used whenever the Blue Fairy appears out of thin air or performs magic. Celesta also provides the signature opening of ''[[Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory#Music|Pure Imagination]]'', a song (sung by [[Gene Wilder]]) from the [[1971 in film|1971]] film ''[[Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory]]''.{{citation needed|date=January 2012}} Composer [[John Williams]]'s scores for the first three [[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]] films feature the instrument, particularly in the first two films' frequent statements of "[[Hedwig's Theme]]".

Another use of the celesta was in the music on the [[children's television series]] ''[[Mister Rogers' Neighborhood]]''. It was heard in the intro to the theme song of the programme, "Won't You Be My Neighbor", which began with a dreamy sequence on the instrument. The song was sung by [[Fred Rogers]] and played by [[Johnny Costa]]. It was also used from time to time in other music sequences throughout the programme.{{fact|date=May 2025}}