Ratchet
Noise instrument in which a cogwheel catches a wooden tongue.
What it means
The ratchet is a noise instrument in which a cogwheel catches a wooden tongue and thereby produces a rattling, clacking noise. It is held by a handle and turned or swung; the faster the turning, the denser and higher the noise seems. It belongs to the idiophones, in which the sounding body itself vibrates.
Musical use
The ratchet is used in the orchestra for effects such as gunfire; Ludwig van Beethoven uses it in Wellington's Victory (1813). In everyday life it is known as a children's toy and as a noisemaker at festivals. In Holy Week it replaces the church bells from Maundy Thursday in Catholic regions, when the bells fall silent.
The ratchet should be distinguished from the rattle, in which loose bodies strike one another in a vessel, and from the clapper, in which two boards are struck against each other.
Performance practice
When you play the ratchet, determine duration and rhythm through the turning motion. Begin and end with a clear swing so that the noise does not seem to trail off, and divide the motion according to the rhythm of the music.