Ratchet (instrument)
Encyclopedia
A ratchet, also called a noisemaker (or, when used in Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

, a gragger or grogger (etymologically from ) or ra'ashan ), is an orchestral musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...

 played by percussionists. Operating on the principle of the ratchet device
Ratchet (device)
A ratchet is a device that allows continuous linear or rotary motion in only one direction while preventing motion in the opposite direction. Because most socket wrenches today use ratcheting handles, the term "ratchet" alone is often used to refer to a ratcheting wrench, and the terms "ratchet"...

, a gearwheel and a stiff board is mounted on a handle, which can be freely rotated. The handle is held and the whole mechanism is swung around, the momentum causing the board to click against the gearwheel, making a clicking and rattling noise. One popular design consists of a thick wooden cog wheel attached to a handle and two wooden flanges which alternately hit the teeth of the cog when the handle is turned. Alternatively, smaller ratchets are sometimes held still or mounted and the handle turned rapidly by the player.

The ratchet is similar to a football rattle, which is sometimes used in its place when a particularly loud sound is needed. An example of its use is Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...

's piece Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks and Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...

's Gurre-Lieder
Gurre-Lieder
Gurre-Lieder is a massive cantata for five vocal soloists, narrator, chorus and large orchestra, composed by Arnold Schoenberg, on poems by the Danish novelist Jens Peter Jacobsen...

. In the 18th and 19th centuries, British policemen used a similar device called a "policeman's rattle" to summon assistance. They also used the device during the Second World War, to warn of the presence of poison gas.

Use in Jewish tradition

In Judaism, the gragger is used for the holiday of Purim
Purim
Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...

. The gragger is used every time Haman
Haman (Bible)
Haman is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who, according to Old Testament tradition, was a 5th Century BC noble and vizier of the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, traditionally identified as Artaxerxes II...

's name is mentioned during the reading of the Megillah
Book of Esther
The Book of Esther is a book in the Ketuvim , the third section of the Jewish Tanakh and is part of the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim...

. Because Haman persecuted the Jews, his name is supposed to be drowned out by noise. The gragger developed to assist with making noise during the reading.
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