Castanets
Created | Updated Apr 13, 2014
Castanets are a member of the percussion family that makes a sharp clicking sound. It appears in folk dancing as two cup-shaped pieces of wood drilled to have an ornamental cord strung through it and looped around the thumbs
Spanish folk dancers use them to make a rhythm by manipulating them with their fingers. A pair of castanets are held by the dancer, one in each hand. The two differ in pitch- the lower called "macho" (male) held in the left hand and the higher called "hembra" held in the right.
Apparently, castanets have been around for a long time. A Japanese myth connects their beginning to the invention of music itself. That the gods beat the measure upon the "Mother of all," castanets. Ancestors of the instrument have been traced to Ancient Greece and medieval Rome. The Moors introduced them to Spain where they are still traditionally seen today.
Used in the orchestra they are tied on both ends of a wooden paddle and struck on the hand. They have made appearences in operas such as "Carmen", "Espana", and "Le Cid".
Spanish folk dancers use them to make a rhythm by manipulating them with their fingers. A pair of castanets are held by the dancer, one in each hand. The two differ in pitch- the lower called "macho" (male) held in the left hand and the higher called "hembra" held in the right.
Apparently, castanets have been around for a long time. A Japanese myth connects their beginning to the invention of music itself. That the gods beat the measure upon the "Mother of all," castanets. Ancestors of the instrument have been traced to Ancient Greece and medieval Rome. The Moors introduced them to Spain where they are still traditionally seen today.
Used in the orchestra they are tied on both ends of a wooden paddle and struck on the hand. They have made appearences in operas such as "Carmen", "Espana", and "Le Cid".
