What sounds bring images of Spain to mind? Quite a few of us will think of the rhythmic instrument of castanets – they are used in many types of Spanish folk dance and by flamenco performers. Composers around the world have used castanets when they want to create a “Spanish feel” to their music. Castanets are a several-thousand-year-old instrument that probably found its way to Spain with the Phoenicians. These days, you will mostly find mass-produced versions. In the tourist shops, you can even find hard plastic versions – the sound they make is of course far from castanets at their most hypnotic. Castanets are like most musical instruments: there is a significant difference in quality. Nevertheless, today there are only a few craftsmen left in Spain who master the art of making castanets adapted to each individual performer. Good castanets should reflect a dancer’s temperament and style and not least the music she or he performs with.
Castanets are used to emphasize drama and narrative in flamenco and sevillanas.
If you have seen Spanish dance, you have hardly failed to notice captivating rhythms from castanets. They are used both in folk dances such as sevillanas, escuela bolera and of course in flamenco. The rhythm instrument can be effective in its simplicity. Perhaps you have bought a set and tried to recreate the music yourself? Maybe it wasn’t as easy as it looked? It takes time and practice to master Spain’s national instrument.
Where do castanets come from? Castanets or castanet-like instruments are known from classical cultures around the Mediterranean. We know that both the ancient Greeks and Egyptians used sticks which they struck against each other to accompany dancing. But from sticks to today’s concave, pear-shaped castanets, seems like a stretch. Scientists believe the Phoenicians who colonized the Iberian Peninsula in the 10th century BC brought with them an instrument very similar to later Spanish castanets. Today’s form is often attributed to the Moors, who ruled on the Spanish mainland from the early 8th century until 1492. In other words, castanets have a history of several thousand years on the Iberian peninsula.
The sound of the castanets has become associated with Spain to such an extent that they have been used by composers worldwide to place action in an exotic, Spanish setting. Just think of the use of castanets in Bizet’s opera “Carmen” or the ballet about the Spanish national hero “Le Cid” by the French composer Massenet.
The string of the castanets is placed around the thumb and the concave parts between the palm and the fingertips. (Source: youtube)
Macho castanets
By the way, castanets are called castañuelas in Spanish. They get their name from the chestnut tree, the hard type of wood that, traditionally, has been the raw material for castanets. Different types of wood produce their own, unique sounds in the finished instruments. Castanets are always played in pairs – and each pair is tuned separately. The pair with the lighter tone is often called “hembra” or “female” and is traditionally held in the right hand, the pair with the lower tone is referred to as “macho” or “male” and is used in the left hand. And speaking of male and female: It is reported that fewer and fewer male flamenco dancers use castanets in their performances. People who follow the dance closely say that ninety percent of today’s performers are women.
Castanets are, as you might understand, not as easy to master as they may appear at first glance. It takes time and practice to become a skilled castanets player. Professionals also require first-class instrument makers. And they are becoming woefully few in Spain.
Mass-produced castanets sound the same. They are usually made of fiberglass or plastic. Professional castanets are made of wood and by hand, because both sound and shape must be adapted to each individual performer and the music he or she will be performing. The rhythm the castanets produce should emphasize and highlight the dancer’s movements and the story that the dance is meant to convey.
Instrument maker Juan Vela tells here about how first-class castanets are made: Flamenco: Last of the castanet makers?
The last of the castanet makers?
One of Spain’s very last castanets makers, Juan Vela, is based in Seville. He is a third-generation castanets craftsman with around 60 years of experience in the industry. Vela began an apprenticeship with his father as early as seven years old. He told the BBC a few years ago about the profession which he fears is in danger of disappearing in the age of mass production.
You can watch a video (Spanish audio with English subtitles) with Juan Vela here: Flamenco: Last of the castanet makers?. In the roughly three-minute long video clip, the castanets maker says that it takes two hours to make a pair of castanets adapted to an individual performer. His castanets are known for exquisite sound and a look to match. His workshop in Seville is visited by many of Spain’s leading flamenco dancers. They tend to be discerning customers who know exactly what they want – for every dance they perform with. You can find out more on their website: Castañuelas del Sur.
Although chestnut and hazel have been widely used in castanets, Vela often uses granadillo wood. It is a type of wood that many musicians call “the tree that sings” – in the hands of a skilled instrument maker, it produces a beautiful sound known, for example, from first-class guitars, including from the American manufacturer Gibson.
One of the last professional castanets makers in the country has created a series of instructional videos that you can study to learn the art of playing Spain’s national instrument.
If you would like to learn to play castanets, there are a number of opportunities also locally in most places in Spain. No matter where you are in the world, there is also a lot of useful material on the internet, including material from and with Vela. In addition to being an instrument maker, he is a performer and teacher and has created a series of instructional videos that you can find freely available online.
Although Juan Vela’s instructional videos are in Spanish, you have the opportunity to learn the art of making beautiful sound with castanets from a master. This video is a good place to start:
Introducción al toque de las Castañuelas. Cómo colocarse y tocar las castañuelas.
Castanets suitable for an ordinary beginner who just wants to give it a try, are very affordable. Hand-made, professional castanets, will cost you about 100 euros or more.
Have you tried playing castanets already? How did it go?
We at Find Your Spain publish in-house written articles and provide links to content from other sources which we hope you will find useful, interesting, and informative. Got a tip for us? Drop us a line, comment on a post.
If you enjoyed this article please like us on Facebook, Twitter or subscribe at FindYourSpain.com. It’s free. And, share our sites with friends and family.
Good ?V I should certainly pronounce, impressed with your web site. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs and related info ended up being truly easy to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Reasonably unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or anything, site theme . a tones way for your client to communicate. Excellent task..