Castanets, also known as clackers or palillos, are a percussion instrument (idiophone), used in Spanish, Kalo, Moorish,[1]Ottoman, Italian, Mexican, Sephardic, Swiss, and Portuguese music. In ancient Greece and ancient Rome there was a similar instrument called the crotalum. The instrument consists of a pair of concave shells joined on one edge by a string. They 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 (chestnut; Spanish: castaño),[1] although fibreglass has become increasingly popular.
Renoir's 1909 painting Dancing girl with castanets
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. Each pair will make a sound of a slightly different pitch.
The origins of the instrument are not known. The practice of clicking hand-held sticks together to accompany dancing is ancient, and was practiced by both the Greeks and the Egyptians. In more modern times, the bones and spoons used in Minstrel show and jug band music can also be considered forms of the castanet.
During the baroque period, castanets were featured prominently in dances. Composers like Jean-Baptiste Lully scored them for the music of dances which included Spaniards (Ballet des Nations), Egyptians (Persée, Phaëton), Ethiopians (Persée, Phaëton), 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 …"
A rare occasion where the normally accompanying instrument is given concertant solo status is Leonardo Balada's Concertino for Castanets and Orchestra Three Anecdotes (1977). The "Conciertino für Kastagnetten und Orchester" by the German composer Helmut M. Timpelan, in cooperation with the castanet virtuoso, José de Udaeta, is another solo work for the instrument. See also the Toccata Festiva for castanets by Allan Stephenson. Sonia Amelio has also performed her castanet arrangements as a concert soloist.
In the late Ottoman Empire, köçeks not only danced but played percussion instruments, especially a type of castanet known as the çarpare, which in later times were replaced by metal cymbals called zills.
Castanets are often played by singers or dancers. Castanets are commonly used in the flamenco dance. In fact, Spanish folk dance "Sevillanas" is the style typically performed using castanet. Escuela bolera, a balletic dance form, is also accompanied by castanets. The name (Spanish: castañuelas) is derived from the diminutive form of castaña, the Spanish word for chestnut, which they resemble. In Andalusia they are usually referred to as palillos (little sticks) instead, and this is the name by which they are known in flamenco.
Köçek troupe at 1720 celebration fair at Sultan Ahmed's sons' circumcision.
When used in an orchestral or jug band 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. For a machine castanet, a less satisfactory roll is obtained by the rapid alternation of the two castanets with the fingers.
Handle castanets
Handle castanets were developed for use in orchestral music. A pair of castanets are fitted onto the end of a straight piece of wood. They are useful for producing a sustained roll, especially loud rolls, on the instrument.[2]
See also
Crotalum, which was a kind of clapper/castanet used in religious dances by groups in ancient Greece.
Peinkofer, Karl; Tannigel, Fritz (1976). Handbook of percussion instruments : their characteristics and playing techniques, with illustrations and musical examples from the literature. Mainz / London: Schott. OCLC 604102910.
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External links
May 16, 2023
castanets, other, uses, castanet, castanet, disambiguation, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, ne. For other uses of Castanet or Castanets see Castanet disambiguation This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Castanets news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message Castanets also known as clackers or palillos are a percussion instrument idiophone used in Spanish Kalo Moorish 1 Ottoman Italian Mexican Sephardic Swiss and Portuguese music In ancient Greece and ancient Rome there was a similar instrument called the crotalum The instrument consists of a pair of concave shells joined on one edge by a string They 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 chestnut Spanish castano 1 although fibreglass has become increasingly popular CastanetsCastanetsPercussion instrumentClassificationhand percussionHornbostel Sachs classification111 141 Directly struck concussive idiophone Related instrumentsCrotalum ZillCastanets seller in Granada Spain Renoir s 1909 painting Dancing girl with castanets 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 Each pair will make a sound of a slightly different pitch The origins of the instrument are not known The practice of clicking hand held sticks together to accompany dancing is ancient and was practiced by both the Greeks and the Egyptians In more modern times the bones and spoons used in Minstrel show and jug band music can also be considered forms of the castanet During the baroque period castanets were featured prominently in dances Composers like Jean Baptiste Lully scored them for the music of dances which included Spaniards Ballet des Nations Egyptians Persee Phaeton Ethiopians Persee Phaeton 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 A rare occasion where the normally accompanying instrument is given concertant solo status is Leonardo Balada s Concertino for Castanets and Orchestra Three Anecdotes 1977 The Conciertino fur Kastagnetten und Orchester by the German composer Helmut M Timpelan in cooperation with the castanet virtuoso Jose de Udaeta is another solo work for the instrument See also the Toccata Festiva for castanets by Allan Stephenson Sonia Amelio has also performed her castanet arrangements as a concert soloist In the late Ottoman Empire koceks not only danced but played percussion instruments especially a type of castanet known as the carpare which in later times were replaced by metal cymbals called zills Contents 1 Castanets in Spain 2 Mounted castanets 3 Handle castanets 4 See also 5 References 6 Sources 7 External linksCastanets in Spain EditCastanets are often played by singers or dancers Castanets are commonly used in the flamenco dance In fact Spanish folk dance Sevillanas is the style typically performed using castanet Escuela bolera a balletic dance form is also accompanied by castanets The name Spanish castanuelas is derived from the diminutive form of castana the Spanish word for chestnut which they resemble In Andalusia they are usually referred to as palillos little sticks instead and this is the name by which they are known in flamenco Kocek troupe at 1720 celebration fair at Sultan Ahmed s sons circumcision Castanets were used to evoke a Spanish atmosphere in Georges Bizet s opera Carmen They are also found in the Dance of the Seven Veils from Richard Strauss opera Salome and in Richard Wagner s Tannhauser An unusual variation on the standard castanets can be found in Darius Milhaud s Les Choephores which calls for castanets made of metal Other uses include Rimsky Korsakov s Capriccio espagnol Ravel s Rapsodie espagnole Francis Poulenc s Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in D minor and Karl Jenkins s Tangollen One can also see Spanish influence in the music of Naples through the presence of castanets as it was registered by Athanasius Kircher on his Tarantella Napoletana tono hypodorico Mounted castanets EditWhen used in an orchestral or jug band 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 For a machine castanet a less satisfactory roll is obtained by the rapid alternation of the two castanets with the fingers Handle castanets EditHandle castanets were developed for use in orchestral music A pair of castanets are fitted onto the end of a straight piece of wood They are useful for producing a sustained roll especially loud rolls on the instrument 2 See also EditCrotalum which was a kind of clapper castanet used in religious dances by groups in ancient Greece Chacaras Krakebs Zills Sanba which consists of three pieces of wood used in Okinawan music Song loan similar kind of castanet used in Vietnamese traditional music References Edit a b Forsyth 1914 p 39 Peinkofer amp Tannigel 1976 p 143 144 Sources EditForsyth Cecil 1914 Castanets Orchestration Macmillan Dover Peinkofer Karl Tannigel Fritz 1976 Handbook of percussion instruments their characteristics and playing techniques with illustrations and musical examples from the literature Mainz London Schott OCLC 604102910 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Castanets External links Edit Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Castanets amp oldid 1152844807, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
