Historic and presentation

The first assembly prefiguring the cristal was created in may 1952.

The keyboard is made of glass rods which play the part of a bow. When they are stroked with damp fingers, they transmit the vibration to the metal axes called « rods » which vibratory mode is given by the weights fixed to the upper end. (vibratory mode forced by simple frame or double frame). The whole of the mechanics are framed in a collector, conducting the vibration to the amplifiers.

Since the 1950s, some fifty cristals have been created in close collaboration with musicians and composers. Unique pieces, nevertheless using an assembling technique of fabrication, they are mainly distinguishable by the organisation of the keyboard, by their range and their amplification type. Up to the beginning of the 1960s, the Baschet brothers, together with the musicians Jacques and Yvonne LASRY, were made famous by the production of numerous pieces of music for radio, films (including Orpheus' testament from Cocteau) and of several prizewinning records.

Then from 1977 came a second generation of cristalists, particularly Michel DENEUVE, naturally associating himself to the development of the instrument. This is more complex than it appears to be as it is about composing musical pieces for the instrument, being able to build a technique allowing them to be played and passing on the Art of Cristal to the future generations.

A third generation will actively take part in this effort at the beginning of the 1990s, then a fourth one ten years later. From then on, although each Cristal is a unique piece, some models are fixed : concert cristals (5 octaves / 4 and a half octaves), study cristals (3 and a half octaves / 2 octaves), cristals for theatre-circus (1 and a half octave / 1 octave). They are the subject of concerts and recordings.