Crécelle

As Printed on a Score

French for ratchet, printed in full on a percussion line (Crécelle, sometimes without the accent). Short notes ask for a quick turn of the handle; a held note with tremolo strokes asks for continuous cranking for the written length.

Also spelled: Crecelle

How Composers Use It

A cogwheel scraping wooden tongues: a loud, dry rattle with no pitch, comic or mechanical in character. It is hard to play quietly and cuts through any texture, so use it for a specific gesture — clockwork, mischief, a creaking machine — and write the exact duration you want rather than an open-ended rattle.

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