Clapper sandals (scabella)

Description

The 1971 course on New Music which the composer Mauricio Kagel (died 2008) taught in Cologne focused on musical instruments for children. As part of the course, the participants were required to develop experimental instruments of their own for use by preschoolers. Among the instruments created are these clapper sandals: child-sized wooden sandals with an additional wooden sole which made a loud clapping noise every time the foot was raised. They were modelled on scabella, the sandals worn by ancient choruses to coordinate their performances. The sandals were made in the workshops of the WDR television network in Cologne and then tested in several nursery schools throughout the region.