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Chapter 7:Music of Indonesia

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Terms & Ideas to know

Gamelan Tuning and scales (Pélog and Sléndro)

Gendhing Loud and Soft Playing styles Differences between Bali and Java

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Southeast Asia/South Pacific

Australia (didjeridu) Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. Indonesia

Java Bali

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General Information on Indonesia

Old cultural traditions, but much cultural diversity due to migration

Boundaries formed during centuries of European colonial domination; many islands

A national language adopted in early twentieth century, but more than two hundred separate languages exist.

Pan-Indonesian popular culture is developing, but regional diversity continues.

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Heavy Population Centers

Jakarta in Java is the Indonesian capital, about nine million people (New York City is 7,500,000); extreme wealth and poverty

Central Java is one of the most densely populated regions in the world

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Two Major Ethnic Groups

Javanese is the largest ethnic group on the island (about 2/3); common language and cultural traits

Sudanese, Language and arts are distinct from the Javanese

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General Qualities of the People

Mostly a farming society, Wet-rice agriculture Religious practices: most profess to be

Muslim, but only a small percentage follow orthodox practice. More adhere to an Islam-Hinduism-Buddhism blend. Layer of belief in benevolent and mischievous spirits and in ancestor veneration

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Kraton in Yogyakarta One of Java’s two major royal courts; official home of the

tenth sultan A complex of small buildings and open pavilions Earthly symbol of the ordered universe; oriented to the

cardinal directions Ruler lives at the very center; imbued with divine powers Kraton still regarded as a cultural center

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Gamelon of the Kraton in Yogyakarta

http://web.grinnell.edu/courses/mus/gamelans/open.html

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What Is a

Gamelan?

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Gamelan refers to set of instruments unified by their tuning, and by decorative carvings and paintings

Primarily consists of several kinds of metal slab instruments and tuned knobbed gongs

Also normally have at least one drum and may have other kinds of instruments; vary in size; some ancient gamelans have small number of instrument

Those in central Java usually large with wide range of instruments

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Gamelan ‘Ensembles’

Gamelan ensembles are kept in many of these court pavilions

Some old and used for rare ritual occasions

Some newer and used more frequently Most believed to contain special

powers Are shown respect and given offerings

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Court Gamelans Were Often Quite Formal

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Four Sample InstrumentsRebab (fiddle)Saron and Gender are slabinstruments(xylophones)Bonang uses knobbed gongs

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Gamelan video from Bali (JVCv9-1 “Sekar jupun”)

Begins with knobbed gong players alternating with players of xylophone-type instrument

The main body of the piece begins with double-headed drum

Large gong marks dividing point; the small cymbals are almost constant

Notice suling (flute) and rebab (fiddle)

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Gamelans Serve Various Purposes Now

Used in all-night performances of shadow plays

Classical Javanese dance rehearsed regularly and performed for special palace functions

More activities outside of the court in contemporary society; sponsored by private individuals, national radio station, public schools and colleges

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Some Universities in the U.S. now have Gamelans

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Pythagorean vs. Equal Tempered Tuning

Problem: The Pythagorean Comma

There are several ways to explain the Pythagorean comma. In a nutshell you cannot tune a circle of Pythagorean 5ths and end up where you started.

*****Start from C and tune perfect 5ths all the way around to B#. You will find that C and B# are not in tune.*****

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A Pythagorean perfect 5th is 702 cents.

702+702+702+702+702+702+702+702+702+702+702+702= 8424 cents

A half step is divided into 100 cents. There are 12 half steps to an octave. Therefore, an octave is 1200 cents.

1200+1200+1200+1200+1200+1200+1200= 8400 cents

8424 - 8400 = 24 cents = Pythagorean Comma

Result: From the 17th century to the present, the music of the Western Hemisphere has used Equal Temperament, created by lowering the perfect 5th from 702 cents to 700 cents.

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See more information at:

http://home.austin.rr.com/jmjensen/TEMPER/Temperament.html

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Present-day gamelans tuned to one of two scale

systems Sléndro = Five-tone system made up of nearly

equidistant intervals; normally notated 1-2-3-5-6 (no 4)

Pélog = Seven-tone system made up of large and small intervals; normally notated 1-2-3-4-5-6-7

Gamelans may consist entirely of one or the other or may have a full set of instruments for each system (double ensemble)

The scale systems are incompatible and rarely played simultaneously

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Arrangement of Instruments

No standard arrangement of the instruments in the performance space

Almost without exception, they are placed at right angles to one another

Reflects Javanese concern with the cardinal directions

Larger instruments generally in the back, smaller in the front

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Two major groupings of instruments

“Loud-playing” are associated with festivals, processions, and other noisy outdoor events; strictly instrumental; drums and louder metal instruments used

“Soft-playing” are intended for more intimate gatherings, often indoors; involved singing; instruments are played softly

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Example of Javanese Gamelan

More formal and sedate than Bali CD: A Javanese Ghendhing (Gamelan

composition) in performance CD 2/Track 3: “Bubaran Kembang Pacar” An example of loud-playing style Uses the pélog scale system, with large

and small intervals

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Gamelan construction Bronze is the preferred metal Brass and iron are also used, especially in

rural areas; cheaper Bronze gamelan instruments are forged in a

long and difficult process; metal worker held in high esteem; forging requires great skill

Forging also imbued with mystical significance

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Construction (cont.)

Process is believed to make one especially vulnerable to dangerous forces in the spirit world; smiths make ritual preparation

Largest gongs require a full month of labor; a truckload of coal

A month of meditation, prayer, fasting, and preparation by the smith

Careful handling; a false hit can crack the gong and ruin the work

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Each Gamelan is Generally a Unique Set

Would look and sound out of place in another ensemble

Attempting to copy the tuning and design of palace instruments used to be forbidden

Reserved for the ruler and his power Great care is taken to arrive at a pleasing

tuning; one that is seen to fit the particular physical condition of the instruments; fits the taste of the individual owner

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Javanese music is closely interrelated with other

performing arts “Concerts” of gamelan music rare; more

often as social event Might be played to commemorate birth,

circumcision, wedding; or sponsored by family as background music for social event; guests socialize and talk freely

Most often performed as accompaniment for dance or theater

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Gamelan and Drama

The ensemble might accompany a drama based on Javanese legendary history

Often used in shadow puppet theater—wayang kulit; Performances normally last until dawn

Master puppeteer, dhalang, operates all the puppets; story typically puppeteer’s own rendition of a well-known story, or episode from the Ramayana or Mahabharata

Musicians do not play constantly, but must be ready to respond to a signal from the puppeteer; a good musician knows many hundreds of pieces

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The shadow puppet show (wayang kulit)

JVCv10-2. CD 2:4 – “Playon Lesum” (slendro

pathet nam) First one begins in soft style; become

loud; ends after repeating the first gongan, when puppet uses signal

Second loud-playing style; the saron plays some variation phrases; tailored

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Bali: A Small Island Just East of Java

Spectacular beauty; most people involved in some kind of artistic work (sadly, recent bombing)

Blend of Hindu and Buddhist practices; not as much Islam influence

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Balinese Gamelan

Music similar to Java, but not the same; more variety of ensembles; music more dynamic and exciting

Instruments tuned slightly off to create “shimmering” sound

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“Kosalia Arini”

CD example (2:5) older piece but notice more asymmetical, less “stiff” quality than Javanese

By Wayan Beratha

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Balinese Gamelan

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Indonesian Popular Music

Many popular styles

Example: Krakatau CD 2:6 Shufflendang-Shufflending

(excerpt)

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Terms & Ideas to know

Gamelan Tuning and scales (Pélog and Sléndro)

Gendhing Loud and Soft Playing styles Differences between Bali and Java

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Homework:due Wednesday, 4/12

Online Quiz

Questions:

1. What is a gendhing, and what are the roles of each gamelan instrument in a Javanese gendhing?

2. What features of the Balinese gamelan gong kebyar music (“Kosalia Arini”) compare & contrast with the two Javanese gamelan examples?