MUSIC OF INDONESIA INDONESIA JA VA GAMELAN The

MUSIC OF INDONESIA

INDONESIA

JA VA

GAMELAN The predominant musical ensemble in Indonesia is gamelan, and its sound has influenced Western composers since Debussy. Javanese Gamelan http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=7 UPBEC 6_xik Debussy Image http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=m. HCK 8 Djo 2 Eg Building a http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=7 s 0 Hx 20 Gamelan q. JKo http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=tsn. HUDF 4 q-c

Gamelan, originally a court ensemble, also accompanies puppet plays, dances, feasts, and ceremonies. Gamelans exist in both Java and Bali. Most of the gamelan instruments are bronze, tuned gongs suspended vertically or horizontally, as well as instruments with tuned bronze keys suspended over resonators. Other instruments include a two- stringed fiddle, flute, and drums.

GAMELAN IN THE WEST A number of gamelan ensembles exist in American university ethnomusicology departments. California Institute of the Arts University of San Diego Santa Barbara State UCLA

INSTRUMENTS OF THE JAVANESE GAMELAN Instrument Chart http: //homepages. cae. wisc. edu/~jjordan/gamelan/ instruments. html Video and sound http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Il 5 n. GXComn 0

Listening Skills Melody: (Balungan, “skeleton. ”) Main melody or close variation played in three different octaves by sarons and a single slentem.

Elaboration: (Bunga, “flowering. ”) Higher register instruments–bonang, gender and, in quiet pieces, rebab, gambang, celempung, suling, and pesindhen (solo female singer)– ornament the tune by subdividing the saron beat.

Rhythmic punctuation: (“Colotomic structure. ”) Conceived cyclically. The big gong marks the longest units, kenong and kempul subdivide the cycle, ketuk (and kempyang) provide tertiary punctuation. The number of beats and particular arrangement of punctuation in a cycle determine the form of a composition.

Javanese gamelan –– sedate and majestic sounding. Of the princely Islamic court, it has formal structures, conventional instrumentation, stable rhythms, and relatively unvaried dynamics, creating a sense of classical elegance and refinement.

Colotomic structure The marking of fixed beats within the metric structure of a musical piece by particular instruments; in gamelan music these include gong, kenong, kempul, and kethuk

Kotekan The interlocking of two or more instruments in the ensemble, a major principle in gamelan performance ––

UDAN MAS (GOLDEN RAIN) http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=pfcj. XZdv. BTM http: //media. pearsoncmg. com/ph/hss_nettl_w orldmusic_6 e/active_listening_guides/index. html# nettl 6 e_alg 24_ch 06 -lg

Tuning and Scales Laras –– Javanese tuning systems slendro (pentatonic) and pelog (heptatonic)

A complete Javanese gamelan is two orchestras in one, for there are two types of scales (or modes) used: a pentatonic (slendro) and a heptatonic (pelog). Since the intervals between pitches in one mode are different from those of the other, it is not possible to play the same instruments for both tunings. -

Cultural and Historical Significance of Javanese Gamelan Music The main courts of the Sultan of Yogyakarta and of the Susuhunan of Surakarta (Solo) were established in the mideighteenth century when the Dutch succeeded in supporting their trade interests by asserting political control over much of the Indonesian archipelago. Because political power was largely in the hands of the colonial overlords, the wealth and energy of the courts was expended on the development of cultural matters like music and dance as a means of both establishing and justifying their precedence and prestige. -

Spiritual Aspects of Javanese Gamelan Music Instruments, especially gongs, are believed to be the abodes of spirits. -

Bedhaya dance tunes accompanying bedhaya are considered extremely powerful. Nine girls from noble families were selected for their beauty and grace to dance. The bedhaya dance is important because;

HTTP: //WWW. YOUTUBE. COM/WATCH? V=5 G 0 FMOMA 1 M 4 (1) it contributes to an understanding of Javanese culture by providing a guide to meditation; (2) it explains certain strategies of war; (3) it contributes to an understanding of music that portrays deep and noble emotions.

Wayang Kulit (shadow-play) - The stories are derived from the Indian epics the Mahabharata and Ramayana.

http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=pfydro 4 X 2 t 0 - Dhalang –– the puppeteer: he speaks with a host of voices, knows archaic languages and a full range of contemporary social dialects, also a repository of spiritual and cultural values, acquainted with social and political issues. He signals the gamelan for the pieces of music needed for scenes.

Bali

Balinese gamelan kebyar Virtuosic, mercurial, flashy, and unpredictable. Adapted by Balinese villagers from old court instruments, it has sudden dynamic contrasts, jerky syncopations, and rapid figurations. http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=q. Iq 8 LNb. YKT 8

Gamelan gong kebyar A modern type of Balinese music that is noted for its virtuosic and unpredictable playing style. http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=ld. PMif. P bngc

Gamelan angklung Balinese gamelan featuring pitched bamboo rattles (angklung) as the lead melody instruments. http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=O 3 AJ_3 FQ t. U 8

Kecak A type of dance drama accompanied by a large male chorus that chants rhythmically, usually performed for tourists. http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=n. AUoa 9 pm ok. A

Barong A trance dance ritual adopted for performances for tourists. It is accompanied by a gamelan gong or kebyar and represents the struggle between Good (in the being of the barong, an awesome but benevolent lion) and Evil (impersonated by a horrendous and malevolent witch). http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=8 Jb. TNPH 8 zs. Y

Key Concepts

Similarities between Gamelan Ensembles and Orchestras: The replication of instruments in various sizes combined with the different functions of “sections” within the gamelan ensemble can be compared to the Western symphony orchestra.

Listening to Formal Structure: 1. Central Java: isolate layers of musical activity––basic melody, elaboration, and rhythmic punctuation (“colotomic structure”)––and cyclical forms 2. Bali: “kotekan, ” “interlocking parts, ” and “ostinato. ” The term kotekan implies the interlocking of two or more instruments in the ensemble.

Distinguishing between Javanese and Balinese Gamelan Pieces: Javanese styles are much more predictable and orderly; Balinese styles are more “virtuosic” to our ears, having more fluctuations in dynamics and tempo.

Effects of Tourism on Traditional Musics: In Bali, new genres, developed to entertain tourists, are accepted by Balinese themselves as part of “traditional” culture.

Summary ♣Gamelan—an Indonesian term for musical ensemble. In central Java, these are usually instruments of bronze—gongs and keys—with the addition of drums, a flute, a fiddle, a xylophone, and a zither. ♣Indonesian music is generally based on repeated musical phrases of varying length. ♣Javanese music uses two scales – a 5 -tone (slendro) and a 7 -tone (pelog); in Bali, pelog predominates, but the important gender wayang ensemble for accompanying the shadow play uses slendro. ♣Gamelan music serves ritual/spiritual, governmental, dramatic, and social

SUMMARY CONTINUED ♣ The shadow puppet play—Wayang Kulit—is one of the major theatrical forms that uses gamelan accompaniment. ♣ Balinese gamelan sound is distinguished from its Javanese relative by the use of paired instruments that are tuned slightly differently, creating a shimmering or pulsating effect.