Castanets
Spain ... What associations arise when you hear the name of this beautiful country? Certainly, olive groves, beautiful sea, sunny beaches with golden sand, exciting bullfights with angry bulls and brave toreros are presented. In addition, a picture with a graceful dark-haired girl appears in our thoughts, who, to the expressive sounds of a guitar and virtuoso clicking, the castanets perform incendiary flamenco. Such a dance is hard to miss, the first movements immediately reveal the national Spanish flavor - this is a unique and very impressive sight.
What are castanets? This is an uncomplicated percussion musical instrument that creates an incredibly beautiful and clear rhythmic pattern. Castanets are widely spread in many countries of the world: Portugal, Italy, Argentina, but only in Spain they are considered cultural and national treasure, as they are an indispensable attribute of Spanish dance. And it is the performers from this country who own the castanets in impeccable perfection, captivating the audience, causing delight and admiration.
The history of castanets and a lot of interesting facts about this musical instrument can be found on our page.
Performance technique
Playing castanets is not easy. To master the technique and virtuoso performance on the instrument of complex rhythmic patterns, it is necessary to study for a long time. The voiced flashing and dryish sound of the castanets, a percussion musical instrument with an indefinite pitch and belonging to the family of idiophones, arises due to the beats of the hollow halves - cups. The castanets are played mainly with fingers, and the finger technique on percussion instruments is the fastest.
There are two ways of performance on the instrument, significantly different from each other. One is called folk, the other - classic. With folk style apply castanets of larger sizes, attaching them to the middle finger. Extraction occurs when the brush moves, which hit the instrument on the palm. This method creates a sharper sound than with the classical style of performance.
AT classic style performances of castanets are fastened on the thumb with a cord with the help of two loops: the first is at the base of the finger, the second is near the nail. The tools for the right and left hand differ in size and sound. The castanet for the right hand is called hembra: it is smaller in size and has a brighter and more high-pitched sound. It is played with four fingers, performing complex rhythmic patterns and trills. The castanet for the left hand is called macho - it is larger in size, has a lower tone and creates a rhythmic basis.
In the classical style, rhythmic patterns are created as a result of a different combination sequence of five game elements extracted on castanets. They are called: TA, RRI, PI, PAM (CHIN), PAN.
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Interesting Facts
- Castanets in Spanish Andalusia are also called palillos, which in Spanish means chopsticks.
- There is a version that castanets to Spain from the New World were brought by Christopher Columbus.
- For about three hundred years, the Spanish Gypsies, and with them the flamenco with castanets, were in exile. And only in the 18th century, flamenco "became free."
- Castanets sounded in the cinema already in the 30s of the last century in the films “Daughter of Juan Simon”, “Maria de la O”, “Fandango spell”, where the main role was played by the magnificent Spanish flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya.
- Castanets are the most popular souvenir that tourists bring with them from sunny Spain.
Design
The castanets are two rounded halves, in the shape of shells with small ears, in which holes are made. A string is inserted into these holes, with which the instrument is attached to the fingers of the performer. The tool is very compact in size and fits easily in your palms. Its width varies from 2.5 to 5 cm. Castanets today are made of various materials - black and rosewood, rosewood, boxwood, ivory, fiberglass and sometimes even metal. It is also worth noting that castanets are used in orchestral practice, which are attached to a wooden handle for ease of performance.
Application and Repertoire
The scope of castanets is quite diverse. Commonly used in flamenco dance, as well as for rhythmic decoration of songs and guitar instrumental music, castanets often find use in musical compositions to reflect the characteristic Spanish flavor. The list of such works is quite extensive, the sound of the castanets can be heard in the operas by G. Bizet, R. Wagner, C. Saint-Saens; ballets P. Tchaikovsky. S. Prokofiev; in M. Glinka's Spanish overtures, as well as in a concerto for piano and orchestra No. 3 by S. Prokofiev, the opera Solomei by R. Strauss, the ballet suite Sid by J. Massenet, the ballet Don Quixote by L. Minkus, Spanish Rhapsody "for the symphony orchestra of M. Ravel, the opera" Let's Operate "by B. Britten, the ballet" The Lame Demon "by K. Gide, the ballet" Laurencia "by A. Crane.
Famous Performers
The Spaniards say that the sound of the castanets conveys the rhythm of their hearts. And although this instrument is an essential attribute of Spanish dance, only real masters can skillfully combine complex pas with masterly mastery of castanets. The greatest performers of the 20th century, who conquered the audience with their extraordinary performance on the instrument, are still considered to be Jose de Udaet, as well as his pupil Jose Luis Landry. Among the talented artists who today brilliantly represent castanets at concert venues and delight listeners with the sound of the instrument, it is worth mentioning Lucero Tenu, Emma Maleraz, Carmen de Vicente, Inma Gonzalez, Consol Grau Melet, Montserrat Carles, Belen Cabanes, Teresa Lise, Mar Besana, Amparo de Triana, Gabi Herzog and Nina Corti.
Story
The history of castanets begins in ancient times. Similar tools were known in ancient times in many countries around the world. Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Mauritanians, Chinese and other nationalities used sticks - rattles for accompaniment, asking them the rhythm to their dances. Images of such tools are found on the frescoes of Egypt and Greece during the period of antiquity, beginning in the third millennium BC. But how and when castanets appeared in Iberia, art historians are still arguing. There is an assumption that Phoenicians or Greeks brought them to the Iberian Peninsula, but perhaps the instruments spread throughout Spain during the Arab conquests. However, the castanets could also appear in the Spaniards regardless of other cultures, and this version is also considered convincing, as archaeologists confirm it with their findings.
The culture of Spain has evolved over the centuries. It was strongly influenced by Arabs and even Indian Gypsies, who in the 15th century began to settle in the Iberian Peninsula. In this regard, new rhythms have appeared in Spanish music genres, which are distinguished by a special color, passion and brightness. Thus flamenco originated - South - Spanish folk music, one of the attributes of which are castanets.
In the 17th century, their sound was used not only in folk music, but also in ballet performances, then in opera, and somewhat later in symphonic works, when music needed to be given a special Spanish flavor. In the middle of the 19th century, a special school was opened in Spain, where they carefully selected and prepared for various performances - the dance shows of the most talented dancers, who perfectly mastered not only the technique of performing national dances, but also the art of playing castanets. These artists amazed the audience with their creativity not only in the theaters of the country, but also in other European countries.
In addition to Spain, castanets were also widely used in Portugal, Southern Italy and Latin America, but it was in Spain that they received the name and form, which is now used throughout the world.
The castanets are a simple, but at the same time very interesting musical instrument. Its sound betrays the music an unusually attractive flavor, creating an indelible impression. In Spain, they respect castanets with respect and trepidation, because they are the musical symbol of this country. The Spaniards carefully preserve and develop the performing arts on an instrument that adequately personifies the national musical culture.
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