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Castanets are a percussion instrument (idiophone), often used in Moorish, Ottoman, ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American music. The name (Spanish: casta?uelas) is derived from the diminutive form of casta?a, the Spanish word for chestnut, which they resemble. These hard wood castanets are well made and are great value. |
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Castanets are often played by singers or dancers. In practice a player usually uses two pairs of castanets. One pair is held in each hand, with the string hooked over the thumb and the castanets resting on the palm with the fingers bent over to support the other side. Because of differences in the quality of each piece of wood, each pair will make a sound of a slightly different pitch. The higher pair, known as hembra (female), is usually held in the right hand, with the larger macho (male) pair held in the left. When used in an orchestral setting, castanets are sometimes attached to a handle, or mounted to a base to form a pair of machine castanets. This makes them easier to play, but also alters the sound, particularly for the machine castanets. It is possible to produce a roll on a pair of castanets in any of the three ways in which they are held. When held in the hand, they are bounced against the fingers and palm of the hand; on sticks, bouncing between fingers and the player's thigh is one accepted method |
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The origins of the instrument are not known. The practice of clicking hand-held sticks together to accompany dancing is ancient, and was practised by both the Greeks and the Egyptians. Contrary to popular belief, castanets are not commonly used in flamenco dance, except for two specific forms: the zambra and the siguiriyas. In fact, Spanish folk dance "Sevillanas" is the style typically performed that incorporates castanet use. Escuela bolera, a balletic danceform is also accompanied by castanets. During the baroque period, castanets featured prominently in dances. Composers like Jean-Baptiste Lully scored them for the music of dances which included Spaniards (Ballet des Nations), Egyptians (Pers?e, Pha?ton), Ethiopians (Pers?e, Pha?ton), and Korybantes (Atys). In addition, they are often scored for dances involving less pleasant characters such as demons (Alceste) and nightmares (Atys). Their association with African dances is even stated in the ballet Flore (1669) by Lully, "...les Africains inventeurs des danses de Castagnettes entrent d’un air plus gai..." In the late Ottoman empire, k??eks not only danced but played percussion instruments, especially a type of castanet known as the ?arpare. |
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The castanet sound is bright and distinctive and can be heard above most other instruments. Consequently these coco shell castanets will go well in almost any ensemble, whether world musical percussion, classical or flamenco (guitar and cahon). |
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The instrument consists of a pair of concave shells joined on one edge by string. These are held in the hand and used to produce clicks for rhythmic accents or a ripping or rattling sound consisting of a rapid series of clicks. They are traditionally made of hardwood. |
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To clean, just wipe the castanets over with a damp cloth.
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