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=7UPBEC6_xik

Debussy Image
Building a
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHCK8Djo2Eg
Gamelan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s0
Hx20qJKo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsn
HUDF4q-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/g
amelan/instruments.html
Video and sound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il5nGXC
omn0
 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=pfcjXZd
vBTM
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/hss_n
ettl_worldmusic_6e/active_listening_guides/
index.html#nettl6e_alg24_ch06-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 mid-
eighteenth 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=5G0FMOMA1M4

(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=pfy
dro4X2t0

- 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=qIq8LNbYKT8
 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
PMifPbngc
 Gamelan angklung

Balinese gamelan featuring pitched

bamboo rattles (angklung) as the lead
melody instruments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3AJ
_3FQtU8
 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=nAU
oa9pmokA
 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=8JbTNPH8zsY
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.