Crotales are percussion instruments consisting of small, tuned metal disks, each about 4" in diameter with a flat top surface and a nipple on the base.
Also referred to as ancient cymbals, antique cymbals, or by 19th century composers as cymbales antiques, they have little in common musically with conventional modern cymbals. Their sound is rather like a small tuned bell. However, they are manufactured by cymbal makers using cymbal alloys, and there exist various intermediate instruments such as the Zildjian Zil-Bel effects cymbal, so despite their sound they are considered a type of cymbal.
Crotales may commonly be purchased individually or in sets. Some kit drummers use a single crotale mounted like a normal cymbal. Sets will normally cover a chromaticoctave, and are most often arranged similarly to a piano keyboard, but for particular pieces only those required may be set up, in whatever arrangement the player considers most suitable.
Crotales are center-weighted, tuned cymbals that are found in the percussion section of most orchestras.
In this study, the acoustic and vibrational properties of crotales in the octaves from Cs to Cg are theoretically and experimentally investigated.
The acoustic spectra of the crotales are compared to theoretical predictions for flat circular plates clamped at the center as well as for clamped annular plates.
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