Crotales

What it means

Crotales are small, thick discs of bronze or brass with an exactly fixed pitch. Unlike ordinary cymbals, which produce a wash without a determinable note, they sound as clear, very high single notes with a long decay. Usual are chromatic sets over one to two octaves, mounted on a stand and struck with mallets; individual pairs can also be struck against each other, like the ancient models from which the name derives.

In the notation

Crotales are notated in the treble clef, usually two octaves lower than they sound; the score generally states this expressly. Indications of the mallet — metal, wood, or soft — belong with it, because they change the sound strongly. A tie or the marking laissez vibrer indicates that the note is to ring out.

Musical use

The sound is bright, glassy, and penetrating but carries little volume; it lays itself over other instruments as a layer of lustre instead of drowning them out. Composers of orchestral music since the late nineteenth century use crotales for pinpoint points of light, often in combination with harp, celesta, or high string harmonics. In music after 1950 they are also bowed, which gives a sustained, sine-tone-like sound. They differ from glockenspiel and cymbal in material, thickness, and the exceptionally long decay time.

Performance practice

Strike near the edge, not in the middle, otherwise the note sounds dull. The choice of mallet decides hardness and the share of attack noise; metal mallets give the most brilliant but also the sharpest sound. Plan the damping actively, because the decay is long and notes otherwise overlap — damp with the free hand or with a strip of felt. For bowed notes you use a double-bass bow at the edge of the disc and work with a calm, even movement. Store the discs so that they do not touch one another, so that they do not clink.

Bear in mind that the sounding octave easily causes confusion in ensemble playing: what looks in the score like a doubling of the flute in fact lies two octaves higher. Check this before rehearsal and settle discrepancies with the conductor. For bowed notes you need space and a stable mounting, since the bow is drawn vertically. Keep the discs clean, because finger grease prevents the response when bowing. Plan the changeovers between mallets and bow in time.