chapter 7. republic of indonesia 17,000 islands (close to 6,000 inhabited) southeast asia formerly...
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Republic of Indonesia 17,000 islands (close to 6,000 inhabited) Southeast AsiaFormerly Dutch East Indies Company (colonized by Dutch) Independence: 1945 (full sovereignty, 1949) Java
Jakarta (capital)Surakarta and Yogyarkarta (Central Java – gamelan)
National unity efforts: Unity in Diversity (slogan) Bahasa Indonesia (language) Cultural nationalism (including gamelan and related arts)
Islam principal religion (but Hinduism principal religion of Bali)
Gamelan Central Javanese court gamelan (CD 1-7) Balinese gamelan gong kebyar (CD 2-12)
In what ways are do they sound similar? In what ways do they sound different?
Balinese gamelan video (kebyar – “Sekar Jupun”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPIZObNdJb0
Javanese gamelan video (“Puspawarna”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xQttRtx35s
SimilaritiesInstruments
Gongs, metallophones (gangsa in Bali), drums, end-blown bamboo flutes, bowed chordophones
Cyclic formsRelated tuning systems, scales, modesSimilar polyphony (higher/faster, lower/slower) Melodic layers: core melody, melodic elaborationHindu basis and related musical symbolism Associations with dance, dance-drama, shadow
puppetry (wayang), and other artsUNESCO wayang video (5:00): https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfydro4X2t0
DifferencesEnergy, tempoMoodSocial symbolism DrummingInterlocking vs. multiple-melody texturesPaired tuning (male-female) of instruments
(Bali) OMI 22
The Balinese Gamelan BeleganjurAudio Musical Guided Tour (p. 96)• Instruments
(know reyong, gong ageng)
• Gilak gong cycle• Core melody and
melodic elaboration
• Rhythms and interlocking patterns
• Polyphonic stratification
Kilitan Telu• Ubiquitous set of
interlocking rhythms in Balinese gamelan
• Featured in cymbal (cengceng) interlocking in beleganjur
• Same set of rhythms (aka cak telu) also used in Kecak dance-drama
Kilitan Telu (Cak Telu)
Kecak (CD 2-13) • Sanghyang Dedari
(trance dance) • Gamelan suara • Walter Spies • Island of Demons
(1933 film) • Ramayana Hindu
epic (also Mahabharata)
• Rama, Sita, Rawana, monkey army (Sugriwa, Hanuman)
• Kecak (from Baraka)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAUoa9pmokA
Beleganjur in Balinese Ritual Agama Tirta (Religion of Holy Water) Cremation ceremony (ngaben)
Performed by members of the banjar Purpose: Release soul (atma) to Upper World of Balinese cosmos
Procession of atma to cremation grounds Multi-tiered cremation tower (wadah), followed by gamelan
beleganjur, directed by lead drummer (CD 2-14) Gamelan beleganjur functions:
Frighten and deflect evil spirits (bhutas, leyaks) Give courage to the atma Energize tower carriers Regulate pace of procession
Function of the ensemble most important at crossroads. Why? Beleganjur cremation field video (Bakan):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztlVXln-ZlM
Kreasi Beleganjur Modern, contest styleOriginated in 1986Two pioneering composers: Sukarata,
AsnawaStyle is exhibitionistic rather than functional Innovations of kreasi style:
Compositional originalityEnsemble virtuosity Showmanship emphasis (including gerak) Varied musical textures
Musical ExamplesContest performance – composer: Sukarata (CD 2-15) “Wira Ghorava Cakti ’95” – composer: Suandita (CD 2-16)
Distinctive features of this piece: Gong cycle drops out at some points Unaccompanied feature sections (e.g., reyong section, 0:19) Plethora of melodic and rhythmic variations – virtuosic Many changes in tempo and dynamics Complex interlocking (e.g., 8 rather than 3 interlocking cymbal
patterns) Same group (Meranggi), 1992: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgWIGNS-zOoFollow Guided Listening Quick Summary GLQS, p. 108Awesome 2005 contest performance!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28-5r9-BdwQ
Crossing International Borders Western composers: Debussy, Cage, Reich,
Glass, TenzerIndonesian musik kontemporer: Asnawa, etc. Syncretism of Indonesian and Western
musics in popular, jazz, etc.I Wayan Balawan (Balinese electric guitar
virtuoso) “Country Beleganjur” (CD 2-18)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiz83vNXGZc
Hip hop Gamelan? Fusion of Balinese gamelan (kebyar,
beleganjur) with hip hop/scratch turntabling B.A.Ph.PET (Bakan) (CD 2-19)
Turntable soloist: Charles Tremblay Florida State University Balinese Gamelan (Sekaa
Gong Hanuman Agung) Opening reyong rhythm derived from kilitan telu Kotekan-style interlocking on gangsa
(metallophones)
And one more!! Batik Tribe, “Indo Yo Ey” http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-gunCZGMFg