Gamelan Music |
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Gamelan is a form of unique and exotic music originating in the
islands of Indonesia in South East Asia. Gamelan music is played
on an orchestra consisting primarily of metal-keyed percussion instruments
("metallophones") and gongs, but also including hand or stick drums,
flutes, and occasionally also bowed instruments and bamboo rattles.
Most of the gamelan music heard in the West is either from Java or Sunda (West Java), or Bali. The styles of gamelan from Java and Bali are strikingly different. Javanese and Sundanese gamelan tends to be softer, and quite dreamy and hypnotic in nature. Balinese gamelan is often much louder, and more flamboyant and dramatic, but also includes quieter, contemplative pieces. Balinese Gamelan MusicBalinese gamelan music has many different forms. The most common that a visitor to Bali might encounter are the marching gamelans - often seen in street processions including cremation processions; gamelan gong - the most commonly found "performance gamelan", played by a large seated orchestra; and gamelan angklung - a smaller orchestra often heard at cremations and other ritual events, and occasionally to accompany dance performances. Gender wayang is also a type of gamelan, that is typically played in small groups of two to four players to accompany wayang kulit, or shadow puppet plays.Gamelan BeleganjurThe belaganjur or marching gamelan is a common sight in Bali and is often seen accompanying ritual processions related to cremation or other ceremonial events. It can also be played as a sitting gamelan for odalan ceremonies and other temple ceremonies. The music is typically a hypnotic, trance-inducing series of percussive loops, punctuated by crashing cymbals. The instrumentation consists of several sets of hand cymbals played in syncopation, a set of individual bronze reyong pots carried in the hand and struck with wooden pangguls in fast, highly interlocked rhythms, two large hand-drums, and a set of gongs slung from poles and carried between two people. Gamelan Swarasanti has recently acquired a set of beleganjur instruments which will be featured in upcoming performances.Gamelan GongMost of the major performing gamelans a visitor might encounter in Bali are gamelan gongs. These gamelans accompany dance and ceremonial events (but not cremations), and also perform as entertainment in their own right. The musical style played by the gamelan gongs is known as gong kebyar. The name "kebyar" means "to burst forth" or "to flare up", as when a struck match flares up quickly and brilliantly, and is a perfect onamatopoeic description for this twentieth-century invention, characterized by amazingly fast, dramatic playing, full of flamboyant flash, jaw-dropping interlock, and free-form phrasing. Gamelan gong ensembles use mainly 10-keyed instruments in the main gangsa section, tuned to the 5-note pelog scale.The most well-known American gamelan group - the legendary Gamelan Sekar Jaya - based in El Cerrito, California - plays both gamelan gong and gamelan angklung, as well as gender wayang. Their performances are HIGHLY recommended. Gamelan Sekar Jaya are well-known and highly respected even in Bali. Gamelan AngklungGamelan Angklung uses a smaller orchestra of 4-key metallophones. Its music tends to be lighter and more delicate-sounding than the gamelan gong, but can be just as complex in its interlocking patterns and interweaving melodies, and hypnotic, repeating loops. The gamelan angklung uses a 4-note slendro-derived scale.The Instruments of Gamelan SwarasantiGamelan Swarasanti is an example of a gamelan angklung orchestra. It consists of a set of 4-key metallophones - tuned roughly to the western notes G, A, B, D. In keeping with the duality that runs thoughout much of Balinese culture, the instruments are paired, with males and females of each type, one tuned slightly higher, and the other slightly lower than the nominal pitch, which generates a beautiful shimmering or beating effect at the difference between the frequencies of the male and female instruments.
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This photograph shows Gamelan Swarasanti's offshoot group Anak Swarasanti (see the Gamelan Anak Swarasanti pages in this site) pictured with the angklung instruments. At the far left are two large gongs and a smaller gong (kempur). The small instrument in front of the gongs is the ceng-ceng. The group of instruments in the main section of the gamelan is called the gangsa, consisting of pemades (front row), kantilan (second row), and jegogan (back row). Next to the gangsa section is the drummer, with a pair of small angklung hand-drums and a larger drum (kendang) usually used for dance pieces. To the far right is the large reyong instrument, which is played by four players. The instruments in Gamelan Swarasanti are described below. Gamelan instruments in general are considered sacred and are treated with the utmost respect. They must not be stepped over, and players must remove their shoes when sitting at the instruments. The instrument cases are highly decorated in red and gold, and are made up of three main parts - the foot, the body, and the head. The foot (base) is the part that connects with the earth and is carved with plant symbols, roots and flowers. The middle section or body contains the bamboo resonating tubes for the keys, and is decorated with elaborate carvings, including the sacred bird Garuda at each corner, who protects the space occupied by the player and ensures that he or she is not influenced by evil forces while playing. The upper section, or head, of the instrument, again elaborately carved, arches up as if to the heavens. PemadeMid-range front row instruments - these carry the main melody, and often play an interlocking melody, or kotekan, in which the instruments play alternate notes, damping inbetween to create the effect of playing at twice the speed. Gamelan Swarasanti has four pemades.KantilanThe kantilan are one octave higher than the pemades. These instruments are placed in the second row, and carry the same melody as the pemades, or an embellishment of this melody. Gamelan Swarasanti has four kantilan.KuwirThe kuwir are one octave higher than the kantilan and add further tonal enrichment to the main section. Gamelan Swarasanti has two kuwir, although they are rarely used. They would be placed behind the kantilan.JegoganThe jegogans are one octave below the pemades - the two jegogans carry the root melody or bass line of the piece. The jegogans are typically placed behind the other 4-keyed instruments, and in front of the gongs.The 4-keyed instruments described above are collectively known as the "gangsa". The following instruments complete the ensemble: ReyongThe reyong is a long instrument consisting of a wooden frame on which 8 bronze pots are mounted on leather strapping. The 8 pots provide two octaves of the 4-note scale, matching the range of the pemade and kantilan instruments. It takes four players to play the reyong, each player taking two pots. The reyong is one of the more difficult instruments to master, as it requires a high degree of precision and coordination with the other players. However, the reyong is capable of creating some of the more spectacular effects of the ensemble and is a key instrument.GongsAt least one gong - the small kempur - is required for a gamelan angklung. Gamelan Swarasanti has recently added a pair of larger gongs to the ensemble, which are used particularly when accompanying dance pieces. The gong is considered the spiritual heart of the gamelan, providing the foundation pulses that anchor the rest of the ensemble and the markers that denote the end of one major cycle and the next - this has been compared with the cycle of death and rebirth. The gong always receives special offerings at performances and is considered to be highly spiritually charged.KajarThe kajar is a time-keeping instrument, similar to one of the reyong pots, but played by a single player beating out a constant rhythm. This beat serves as a reference grid for the rest of the ensemble to help keep the precision split-second accurate.Ceng-cengPronounced "cheng-cheng", the ceng-ceng consists of a set of four small cymbals mounted inverted on a wooden frame, which are struck with a pair of small cymbals held by the fingers to create crashing and shimmering punctuation along with the drummer - the ceng-ceng player is often the drummer's apprentice. The ceng-ceng is a deceptively difficult instrument to play well.SulingThe suling - a bamboo flute - is the only wind instrument in the ensemble. It generally plays and embellishes the root melody as laid out by the jegogan. In Bali, suling players use circular breathing - breathing into the lungs through the nose and out through the mouth, allowing them to play continuously without pausing for breath.DrumsThe drums, or kendang are played by the leader of the gamelan and signal time changes, transitions, and other punctuations in the piece. There may be one or two drummers. Gamelan Swarasanti has two sets of drums - a small pair for "sitting pieces", and a larger pair for accompanying dancers. As with the metallophones, the drums also come as a male/female pair. The drums are often played in an interlocked fashion, and are the most difficult of all the instruments to master.
Further ReadingFor those interested in learning more about Balinese gamelan music, the book "Balinese Music", by Michael Tenzer, one of the founders of Gamelan Sekar Jaya, is highly recommended.
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