Castanets, the symbol of Spanish dance

The word derives from the Latin castanea, which is related to castaña or chestnut, and may have evolved into “castañuela”, the current Spanish name for castanets.  The instrument is made up of pieces of wood (often chestnut, although other materials are used), tied together with a string and which according to their sound, are placed on the right or left hands.  A pair of castanets has male and female halves, the female being the half with the highest tone and which is worn on the right hand.  The deeper-sounding male portion carries the rhythm, and between both parts a great variety of effects is achieved.

In the beginning they were played with four fingers with the help of a brisk wrist movement, but later it was discovered that by using the middle finger of the left hand, a better sound could be produced.  By the end of the eighteenth century the norm was to wear the castanets on the thumbs which was considered more elegant, and in this way the percussive instrument was introduced into the most refined society of the era to accompany seguidillas and boleras at social gatherings.

Carmen Amaya

The correct handling of castanets has a direct inflluence on the sound they emit.  In order to get optimum sound they must be played often and always be stored in their special case to protect them from humidity and extreme temperatures.

Generally speaking, castanets are used for regional folkloric dances (some of which maintain the original use of the middle finger), Spanish classical dance and even some operas, such as Carmen among others.  We sometimes see them being used by traditional minstrel groups (“tunas”).  There have also been people who specialized in giving castanets recitals working with major orchestras to give a typical Spanish flavor.  The most famous castanet specialists have been Antonia Mercé (La Argentina), Lucero Tena (everyone remembers the famous “Lucero Tena” castanet set in its little box), Carmen de Vicente or José de Udaeta who at 86 gave a castanet recital at the 2004 Festival de Jerez that was voted by specialized critics to be the best show of the entire festival.

In Andalusia castanets are worn on the thumb and are mostly used for sevillanas or dances related to fandangos such as verdiales or fandangos de Huelva.  They have also been used for siguiriyas as this is the rhythm which best adapts to the sound of this instrument, as well as for soleá, caña, guajira or even caracoles, which is a variety of cantiñas.  Thanks to her technical skill and extraordinary sense of rhythm, the legendary dancer Carmen Amaya helped popularize castanets.

In recent decades castanets have somewhat fallen into disuse although there is currently renewed interest and they are beginning to reappear in new works, most notably those of the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía.

Worthy of mention is the archaeological museum in Oviedo where a variety of castanets are on display, some pieces being truly surprising and extremely old.  Nowadays castanets are made from synthetic materials such as pressed fiber or fiberglass which guarantees durability without sacrificing quality.