To the heart of the castanets

Castanets, also called "palillos", "chacletas" or "tablillas de choque" do have their irrevocable place in flamenco, other spanish folklore and local dances. Its origin dates back to the prehistory and do have ancestors all over the world, but, curiosly, only had a constant evolution on the Iberian Peninsula until modern times. Its great-great grandmother was the “Crusmata” ibérica, formed by two pieces of wood, plain stones or seashells, which were fixed by a cord going through the holes of that pieces in contrast to other instruments of this type. Nowadays there are castanets in all sizes: In the region of León and Zamora you can find tiny "Pitos"  and on the Canary Islands the huge "Chácaras". Each pair of castanets is composed of a male (with a deep sound) and a female (with a higher sound). Castanets have to be played during many hours before they get best sonority. They have to be protected from humidity, extreme temperatures and changes of environments to safe them from breakage using a special case to keep them after each use. 

Parts of a castanet, translation: oreja= ear, puente= bridge, labio= lip, concha= shell, corazón= heart, punto= point