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Dancing accompanied by hand-clapping and by a lyre-player or aulete is represented on a number of late eighth- and early seventh-century vase-paintings, and also described in a passage of the Odyssey.203 There were dances of singing choruses in which the feet stamped energetically enough to produce a 'lovely thumping'; and a little later, Archaic vases show us lively dancers who slap their thighs, bellies, or other parts.204 |
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Clappers or castanets (krotala or krembala) made from two short lengths of wood strung together are probably to be recognized on two Late Geometric vases. Here they are held by men, but in later times they are mostly a property of women, who are frequently shown dancing with them in Classical vase-painting, a pair in each hand, while someone else plays a lyre or auloi.205 Sappho imagines the wedding procession of Hector and Andromache as being surrounded by a happy mixture of pipe, lyre, and castanets. It is in popular, festive music-making that they have their place, not in the theatre, in professional contests, or in cult.206 |
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The implements depicted in art are rather larger than modern castanets, and can hardly have been used at such a high rate of striking. They appear to be about 12-15 cm. in length, wider at the head than at the hinge, sometimes with a right-angled projection back from the head. It may be that the pairs held in the two hands were differentiated in sound. We also hear of clacking shells or earthenware pieces together, without a lyre, as a vulgar method of accompanying a song.207 |
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Auletes sometimes wore a special shoe, called kroupeza, with a |
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203Od. 8. 377-80; Wegner, Musik und Tanz, 23f.; Webster, 7, 9f., 50. Later we hear of clapping only occasionally, in popular contexts, as Carm. Pop. PMG 876b (above, p. 28), Autocrates fr. 1. 5, Plut. Quaest. conv. 623b, Lucian, Ver. Hist. 2. 5, Clem. Paedagogus 3. 11.80. 4; Gregory of Nazianzus, Or. 5.35 (PG XXXV. 709 a), Ep 232 (PG xxxvii. 376a), Carm. 2. 1.88.88 (PG xxxvii. 1438a); Orph. Argon. 440; perhaps Anacreontea 49. 8, 59. 7. In Theophr. Char. 19. 10 Diels, clapping along with the piper is cited as an example of boorish behaviour. |
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204 Hes. Th. 70, cf. 8, Il. 18.571, Hymn. Hom. Ap. 516; Webster, 15, 21, 24. |
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205 See Pl. 31; Aign 94; Wegner, Musik und Tanz, 24; Musikleben, 62 f., 93, 212-14 and pl. 28; Bilder, 50f., 97, 99; Paquette, 203-9. |
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206 Sappho 44. 25, Dicaearchus fr. 60 W., Meleager, HE 4361, ps.-Verg. Copa 2. In several passages where krotala are mentioned in connection with the worship of Cybele or Bacchus I take them to be a special type which I discuss below together with cymbals. |
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207 Ar. Ran. 1305 with schol., Hermippus fr. 31, Phrynichus, Praep. Soph. 79.6 de Borries, Eust. Il. 838. 23, 1327. 24. Photius S.V. krembaliazein mentions ivory clackers. |
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