What is the background and function in gamelan music of Indonesia?
The functions of gamelan Javanese gamelan does have its religious purposes as well, as an accompaniment during religious ceremonies. It has also been used as a form of entertainment performed for the amusement of the royal family, as well as accompanying the wayang puppet shows.
What is the function of the gamelan orchestra in the wayang kulit theater?
Gamelan in Wayang Kulit Performance Music supports the all-night performance almost non-stop, though the number of instruments that play may vary. Gamelan serves both musical and dramatic functions -- music sets the mood, interprets, and reinforces various aspects of the dhalang's narrative.
What is the main instrument used in gamelan orchestra?
A gamelan is a set of instruments consisting mainly of gongs, metallophones and drums. Some gamelans include bamboo flutes (suling), bowed strings (rebab) and vocalists.
What is the function of wayang kulit puppetry?
It is usually performed in an eight to nine hour performance that goes all night. Wayang kulit combines deep spiritual meaning, entertaining storytelling, extraordinary musicality (both in the gamelan and vocals), deep philosophical messages, current political commentary, and bawdy humor.
What are the major functions in the wayang kulit dramatic performance?
Earliest record: Central Java, 907 AD with story: Bimmaya Kumara In Bali, Wayang Kulit performances are sacred and form part of many ceremonies in village and family temples. 3 functions : instructive, entertaining and religious.
How important is the gamelan orchestra to Indonesian musicians?
Today, gamelan is an important feature of shadow puppet shows, dances, rituals, and other performances in Indonesia. Although stand-alone gamelan concerts are unusual, the music may also be heard frequently on the radio. Most Indonesians today have embraced this ancient musical form as their national sound.
What instruments are used in the music samples gamelan music of Indonesia?
The most popular and famous form of Indonesian music is probably gamelan, an ensemble of tuned percussion instruments that include metallophones, drums, gongs and spike fiddles along with bamboo flutes.
What musical instrument plays a significant role in a Kabuki performance?
Kabuki uses the hayashi ensemble (the three noh drums and the noh flute) to accompany the actor as he dances down the hashigakari and onto the main performance area. The shamisen, a three stringed plucked lute, is an instrument that was brought to Japan from China. It is the most important instrument used in nagauta.
What is a gamelan?
gamelan, also spelled gamelang or gamelin, the indigenous orchestra type of the islands of Java and Bali, in Indonesia , consisting largely of several varieties of gongs and various sets of tuned metal instruments that are struck with mallets. The gongs are either suspended vertically or, as with the knobbed-centre, kettle-shaped gongs of the bonang, placed flat. Percussive melodic instruments include the bonang, the xylophone ( gambang kayu ), and various metallophones (instruments with a series of tuned metal plates, either suspended over a resonance trough or on resonance tubes). A sustained melody is played either by the bamboo flute ( suling) or by a bowed stringed instrument ( rebab) or is sung—the last especially when, as often occurs, the gamelan is used to accompany theatrical performances, or wayang. The voice is then part of the orchestral texture. Dominating these two groups of instruments is the drum ( kendang ), which unites them and acts as leader. Javanese gamelans frequently include singers, while most Balinese gamelans consist exclusively of percussion instruments. Many types of gamelans, of different sizes and for a variety of purposes, may be distinguished.
How are the modes of Javanese gamelan music determined?
The modes ( patet) of Javanese gamelan music are determined in part by the relative placement on either scale of the basic note ( dong) and its fifth above and fifth below. (A fifth is an interval more or less the size of that formed by five adjacent white keys on a piano.)
What is the main melody of Javanese gamelan?
The rebab, one of the instruments that elaborate the main melody in Javanese gamelan music. The highly developed polyphony (multipart music) or heterophony (music in which one part varies a melody played simultaneously in another part) of the gamelan has a rhythmic origin.
How are gamelans tuned?
No two gamelans are tuned precisely alike; rather, each instrument is tuned to match the ensemble for which it is intended rather than to an external standard of pitch. A gamelan may be tuned to the scale of slendro (in which the octave is divided into five tones roughly equidistant) or to pelog (a scale consisting of seven notes of varying intervals of which five are given principal stress). The so-called double gamelans of Java consist of both a slendro and a pelog set of instruments, which typically share one or two common pitches. The modes ( patet) of Javanese gamelan music are determined in part by the relative placement on either scale of the basic note ( dong) and its fifth above and fifth below. (A fifth is an interval more or less the size of that formed by five adjacent white keys on a piano.)
What does gamelan mean in Indonesia?
But also, by playing the gamelan there is a meaning that describes the system of deliberation and consensus in the midst of society, through each gamelan musical instrument. Gamelan symbolizes the spirit of cohesiveness and mutual cooperation, together, and in line. So that it gives birth to a harmonious tone in social life. In Indonesia, gamelan accompanies many cultural activities such as:
What is Gamelan music?
Gamelan ( / ˈɡæməlæn /) ( Javanese: ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, Sundanese: ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, Balinese: ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments.
What are some examples of gamelan dances?
Some examples of famous dance include: bedhaya, serimpi, gambyong, Bambangan Cakil, legong, oleg tamulilingan, pendet, cendrawasih, barong, baris, jaipong, topeng, Bajidor Kahot, gandrung, etc.
What is a gamelan ensemble?
A Gamelan Ensemble was played to accompany the inauguration of the Prince of the late Paku Alam VII at Pakualaman Palace, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, before 1949. A Dalang (Puppeteer), Sindhen (singer) and Wiyaga (gamelan musicians) with Javanese Gamelan at Keraton Yogyakarta the Sultan's Palace in Yogyakarta - Around 1885.
What is the tuning system of a gamelan?
The tuning and construction of a gamelan orchestra is a complex process. Javanese gamelan use two tuning systems: sléndro and pélog. There are other tuning systems such as degung (exclusive to Sunda, or West Java, similar with Japanese ryukyuan scale ), and madenda (similar to a Japanese hirajoshi scale ). In central Javanese gamelan, sléndro is a system with five notes to the octave, with large intervals, while pélog has seven notes to the octave, with uneven intervals, usually played in five note subsets of the seven-tone collection. A full gamelan will include a set of instruments in each tuning, and classically only one tuning is used at a time. The precise tuning used differs from ensemble to ensemble and gives each ensemble its own particular flavor. A set of gamelan instruments will be tuned to the same set of notes, but the tuning will vary from one gamelan to the next, including variations in the size of intervals.
What are the two types of gamelans in Java?
Typical Javanese gamelan instruments. In the courts of Java, Javanese gamelan is grouped into 2 groups of gamelan, namely gamelan Pakurmatan and gamelan Ageng. Gamelan pakurmatan is the gamelan used for special Javanese court events and all of them are sacred gamelan.
What is the Javanese word for gamelan?
The high Javanese word for gamelan is gangsa ( ꦒꦁꦱ ), formed either from the words tembaga ( ꦠꦼꦩ꧀ꦧꦒ) and rejasa ( ꦫꦼꦗꦱ) referring to the materials used in bronze gamelan construction (copper and tin), or tiga ( ꦠꦶꦒ) and sedasa ( ꦱꦼꦢꦱ) referring to their proportions (three and ten).
What is gamelan in Indonesia?
In Indonesia, particularly on Java and Bali, gamelan is an essential accompaniment for wayang performance and other dramatic forms. Gamelan is also enjoyed as an element of ritual celebrations such as wedding receptions, circumcisions, and village ceremonies.
What is a gamelan?
Gamelan is an Indonesian orchestra that mainly consists of percussion instruments such as gongs and metallophones. Female singers (pesindhen) and a male chorus (penggerong) are also involved in a complete ensemble. In Indonesia, particularly on Java and Bali, gamelan is an essential accompaniment for wayang performance and other dramatic forms.
What is the gamelan in Kulit?
Gamelan in Wayang Kulit Performance. The gamelan orchestra is a vital accompaniment for wayang kulit performance. Music supports the all-night performance almost non-stop, though the number of instruments that play may vary.
What are the two main tunings of Gamelan?
The two principle tunings are laras slendro (with five tones per octave) and laras pelog (with 7 tones per octave). Traditionally, wayang kulit performances employed only laras slendro gamelan. Today, a full gamelan consists of both laras slendro and laras pelog. One of the unique characteristics of gamelan music is that the pitches of these tuning systems are not found in the Western scale.
How does the Dhalang conduct the orchestra?
In addition to his main role as wayang kulit performer, the dhalang conducts the orchestra. He signals to the musicians and singers what composition to play, and when to play it. This is done through verbal and musical cues. The dhalang gives verbal cues to the musicians in the form of a riddle or code whose word association is synonymous to the title of the required composition. The musical cues can be in a form of a short melody. Another type of musical cue is a rhythmic pattern tapped on the puppet chest by the dhalang with his mallet (called cempala ). The knocking sound of the cempala on the box also serves other functions such as signaling the switch from one speaker to another in characters’ dialogue, emphasizing important dialogue and recitations, and supporting an exhilarating song.
What are the three acts in Wayang Kulit?
The three acts in wayang kulit performance parallel the mood progression of the three modes of music: Pathet Nem , Pathet Sanga, and Pathet Manyura. These three acts also symbolize stages and spiritual developments in the life of the story’s hero.
What is the song called in the play Dhalang?
At certain junctures of the play, the dhalang chants or sings songs (called sulukan) to set the mood of the scene, which is accompanied by soft-sounding instruments.
What is gamelan music?
More than just ambiance for tourism, spa treatments or performances, the traditional gamelan music of Indonesia is a representation of the nation’s diverse and dynamic identity. From legends to musical attributes and close religious connections, discover the ancient secrets of Indonesia’s gamelan music.
What is a gamelan?
Gamelan originally refers to a set of musical instruments rather than a genre. Many members of a gamelan family are percussive – different kinds of metallophones, drums, chimes, xylophones, and melodic instruments like flutes, strings, and sometimes even a vocalist. Just like many other cultural elements in Indonesia, there are different variations and takes on this traditional art throughout the diverse culture of the archipelago, but perhaps the Javanese and Balinese gamelan are the best preserved and most popular.
Where did Gamelan originate?
In Javanese culture, the origin of gamelan was mentioned in the mythology of a hermit called Sang Hyang Guru who first created a type of gong to call on the gods. More percussive items were added to send out different messages to the gods, resulting in a full set of instruments.
Where was Gamelan first found?
The earliest known records of gamelan were found in the reliefs of Borobudur Temple, dating back as far back as the 8th-century.
What are the instruments in Gamelan?
In addition, gamelan Instrument consists of: gambang, gender, saron, slentem, gong, kempul, tap, kenong, bonang, Kendhang, Flute, Rebab, and siter. All of those instruments have each function.
What is gamelan music?
Gamelan is a traditional music in Indonesia. It usually used as accompany Indonesian Traditional Puppets, Traditional Songs of Indonesia, and Traditional Dances of Indonesia. When it held the official event of the kingdom in the palace, gamelan will be used as the music as accompanist.
What music do Javanese use for wedding receptions?
Especially, if there are members of the palace that married in a cultural tradition of Java. Javanese people also use the gamelan music when holding a wedding reception. Besides, gamelan has some facts that might make a pride for Indonesians.
How many groups of Gamelan are there in the US?
According to the data from the Embassy of RI, there are 120 groups of gamelan America. They exist in various universities. The total of registered group is up to 400 gamelan groups in 45 US states. The groups are very active. They often conduct gamelan performances in several places of America. It should be a pride for Indonesians. Remember that as Indonesians you have to preserve gamelan as one of traditional music of Indonesia.
What is the music of Javanese gamelan?
At the time of selection, the musical sound of Javanese gamelan appears as one of the proposals. The music is titled Puspawarna, the lyrics made by Prince Adipati Arya Mangkunegara IV from Surakarta (1853-1881), the contents have meaning to commemorate his wife and mistress.
What are the instruments in the Borobudur Temple?
Musical instruments such as bamboo flutes, bells, kendhang in various sizes, harps, plucked and picked of stringed instrument are found in the relief. That is why the relief of the instrument is said to be the origin of the gamelan. Read also: Facts about Borobudur Temple in Indonesia. History of Borobudur Temple.
What spacecraft is used for music?
Played in outer space. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) set up two spacecraft namely Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. The team of NASA gave a decision that Voyager will bring the best music, photo galleries, and sounds of life both natural and artificial.
How many instruments are there in a Gamelan orchestra?
Talking about the musical instruments of a Gamelan Orchestra, usually there willbe a set of instruments that consist about 10 of them. Now, let us tell yo al of those ten starting from the bumber one : 1. Kendang. The first one, and yet the famous instrument is Kendang. This instrument came later than the first Gong.
What is the instrument in Gamelan?
Kempul. The next instrument we want to talk about is the Kempul. Kempul is one set of instruments in Gamelan orchestra that look like gong. It can also produce more higher sound than the lower sound of a gong.
What instrument is used in Dangdut?
Not only for the Gamelan orchestra, Kendang can also be usedfor another type of music, like dangdut. Even though in Dangdut, Kendang is the main instrument that must be use to make thedangdut music more lively. See also: Popular Coffee in Indonesia. Popular Spices in Indonesia.
How many sarons are in a gamelan?
Saron. One set of Gamelan usually contains four Sarons. If you don’t know yet, Saronalso incld in the family instruments of Balungan. For its notes, Saron can produce a sound t 1 octaf higher than the otehr instruments called Demung. Based on the size, there are three types of Saron.
What is the resonator of Gambang?
And to make it safer to play, the makers of it add the thing called gerobogan which is basicaly the resonator of Gambang. The sounds of it is really beautiful , especially when played in a fast speed.
Why is the Gong important?
In the Gamelan orchestra theusage of Gong is really important, to ends the Gatra and also the start sign and the ending sign for the Gendhing. While in some areas in Indonesia, gong usually used for many ceremonies, wedding, and also other purposes.
What instrument is used to make the tempo faster?
The first one, and yet the famous instrument is Kendang. This instrument came later than the first Gong. Used as the instrument to arrange the flow or the tempo of play. One can make the tempo faster and slower by hitting the Kendang either slow or fast.
Overview
Cultural context
For some Indonesians, gamelan has high philosophical values, in terms of sound, roles, and the feelings of the players. Playing gamelan is not just the ability to play various musical instruments together, thus giving birth to the harmony of tones and rhythms. But also, by playing the gamelan there is a meaning that describes the system of deliberation and consensus in the mids…
Etymology
The word gamelan comes from the Javanese word gamel (ꦒꦩꦼꦭ꧀), which refer to playing of percussion instruments or the act of striking with a mallet, + an (noun-forming suffix). The gamelan in the Sundanese is Degung (Degung), the word Degung apparently is an old Sundanese term, which refers to gongs and Gong ensembles. For this reason, the words degung and gong are essentially synonyms for the word gamelan. At the same time, the expression Gamelan degung may …
History
The gamelan predates the Hindu-Buddhist culture that dominated Indonesia in its earliest records and thus represents an indigenous art form of Indonesia. In contrast to the heavy Indian influence in other art forms, the only obvious Indian influence in gamelan music is in the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese style of singing, and in the themes of the Wayang kulit and Wayang Golek (shadow pupp…
Instruments
A gamelan is a multi-timbre ensemble consisting of metallophones, xylophones, flutes, gongs, voices, as well as bowed and plucked strings. The hand-played drum called kendhang controls the tempo and rhythm of pieces as well as transitions from one section to another, while one instrument gives melodic cues to indicate treatment or sections of a piece.
Notation
The tuning and construction of a gamelan orchestra is a complex process. Javanese gamelan use two tuning systems: sléndro and pélog. There are other tuning systems such as degung (exclusive to Sunda, or West Java, similar with Japanese ryukyuan scale), and madenda (similar to a Japanese hirajoshi scale). In central Javanese gamelan, sléndro is a system with five notes to the octave, …
Varieties
Varieties of gamelan are distinguished by their collection of instruments and use of voice, tunings, repertoire, style, and cultural context. In general, no two gamelan ensembles are the same, and those that arose in prestigious courts are often considered to have their own style and tuning. Certain styles may also be shared by nearby ensembles, leading to a regional style. The varieties are gene…
Gamelan production
Most of the metal gamelan instruments are made of bronze or brass or iron, while some are made of wood, bamboo, leather, and strings. Gangsa is short of Tigang (three) and Sedasa (ten), the term for gamelan in high Javanese language based on the composition of the ingredients for making the best gamelan (bronze), namely three copper and ten tin. Pande is the name for a gamelan maker, while …