Castanets

Traditional Spanish castanets, closely associated with flamenco dance and Iberian musical color.

Castanets are widely regarded as a national musical instrument of Spain, with documented use dating back to the Middle Ages. Closely associated with flamenco and other Andalusian dance traditions, they function not merely as rhythmic markers but as expressive extensions of movement, shaping the emotional contour of the dance through sharp, articulate pulses and rolling patterns.

Played either in rapid, rotary motion or in clearly articulated rhythmic figures, castanets contribute a distinctive percussive brilliance. Their unmistakable “Spanish timbre” fascinated many composers of the 19th and 20th centuries, who incorporated them into orchestral writing to evoke Iberian color and dance vitality.

Traditionally, castanets were made from chestnut wood—the Latin castanea giving the instrument its name. Over time, other hardwoods such as walnut, rosewood, and ebony have been used, while earlier examples were sometimes carved from ivory. Their characteristic shell-like form is significant: it suggests that the earliest versions may have been fashioned from seashells, pointing to an origin among coastal communities. Some scholars have proposed that the instrument may have been known to ancient Phoenician cultures, though its precise beginnings remain uncertain.

Castanets in the orchestra

In orchestral contexts, castanets are often mounted on a handle and played by striking the instrument against the free hand. These orchestral castanets typically consist of three paired shells, with the central one fixed and hollowed on both sides to enhance resonance.

An alternative is the mechanical castanet, in which two wooden shells are attached to a small wooden frame and pivot independently. This design allows performers to produce precise, even rhythms more easily than with traditional hand-held castanets, making it particularly practical in large ensemble settings.

Castanets in dance performance

Dancers’ castanets are joined by a cord looped around the thumb and supported by the fingers. Performers usually play two pairs of different sizes: a smaller, higher-pitched pair in the right hand and a larger, lower-pitched pair in the left. Traditionally, the smaller pair is referred to as “female” and the larger as “male,” reflecting pitch and function rather than gender.

How castanets produce sound

Each castanet consists of an almost circular wooden shell, hollowed at the center to create a hemispherical cavity surrounded by a flat rim. When the two shells strike each other, the enclosed air space acts as a resonator, amplifying the sharp, clicking sound. Because of this hollow structure, castanets belong to a broader family of percussion instruments sometimes described as “beating vessels.”