Indonesian Music - Gamelan - Essay Example

Moonlight and Flowing Water Gamelan is comparable only to two things: moonlight and flowing water, it is pure and mysterious like moonlight, it is always the same and always changing like flowing water. It forms for our ears no song, this music, it is a state of being, such as moonlight itself which lies poured out over the land. It flows murmuring, tinkling and gurgling like water in a mountain stream. Yet it is never monotonous. Sometimes the sounds flow faster and louder, just as water also sometimes speaks more loudly in the night only to sink back again quietly. Leonhard Huizinga (Dutch Writer) For a student of world music, Indonesian music means Gamelan music, particularly the types of Gamelan found in the neighboring islands of Java and Bali. Ethnomusicologists trained in the West have always shown interest in Javanese and Balinese orchestral traditions because these types of music were always easily available in the US. Therefore, researchers and students have always remained focused on these varieties though the music from other islands like Borneo, Sulawesi and Sumatra also form integral parts of Indonesian music. In order to understand the music tradition of a country it is necessary that one should have some background information about its geography, religion, culture and traditions. Indonesia is a diverse cultural composite of 13,667 islands and it is a home for over a hundred different ethnic groups speaking more than 300 languages. The population is a mix of several major religions like Islam, Hindu, Buddhism and Christianity. Therefore, these catalytic factors have a great influence in shaping the art form of Indonesia, especially in music. Local beliefs and traditions known as adat – a native term for customs – play a significant role in forming the Indonesians’ religious practices. The adat ceremonies are marked by events like ritual sacrifices, communal feasts etc. The natives harbor a notion that the spirits of departed ancestors still remain somewhere near the community. Hence they pay offerings to the departed souls in hopes that the spirits will accept what they earnestly submit. Thus, religion and traditions dominate the society in all walks of life and form the bases for various practices. As is the case with many other cultures, here also arts especially music seem to be a bridge that links the ‘material’ with the ‘spiritual’, the ‘body’ with the ‘soul’, and ‘reality’ with ‘beliefs’. Music, dance and theatrical genres are also used to render solemnity to religious occasions, and to serve as entertainment for the human worshippers. Thus it appears that art forms receive encouragement of the community because of the manner in which its roots are entrenched within the society. Gamelan is the traditional Indonesian music which comprises various types of orchestra. Though different from one another they all share a common organization. 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.” (Gamelan Swarasanti). Gamelan is characterized by percussion, with several musical instruments like gong, xylophone, metallophone, flute, stringed instruments, cymbals, drums etc to create rhythmic patterns that entwine in the form of well-knit sound flow. The literary meaning of the word ‘gamelan’ is roughly an equivalent of ‘to strike’ in English. Because of the intricate pattern of cadence it is known as gong-chime musical ensemble. Another notable component of gamelan is a double headed drum known as kendang, which the players rest horizontally across their lap while sitting cross-legged. The drummers play a dominant role in the concert as they are the key to direct other players, punctuating special cues of sound that function to harness the pace of the music with the change in speed, tune or for ending a particular section. Though gamelan is part of the entire Indonesian music culture, Javanese and Balinese gamelans are the most popular. Perhaps this is because gamelan owes its origin to the neighboring islands of Java and Bali. “Performances are drawn from the great Hindu epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.” (Javanese Gamelan). Java is the most densely populated island in Indonesia, and the Javanese gamelan mainly comprises bronze keyed instruments and gongs, xylophones, bowed lute, zither and flute. “Often, the Javanese consider a gamelan set as pusåkå, an inherited object which is endowed with supernatural power. An honorific title, Kyai or “The Venerable Sir”, and name is assigned to the gamelan. Periodically, an offering is provided and incense is burned before the gong. For this reason, the Javanese always maintain a show of respect for the instruments. Hood and Susilo aptly state the most appropriate etiquette of the musicians when they are present in the gamelan area.” (Sumarsam. P. 3). One of the salient features of the Javanese gamelan is that composers of music have no freedom to change their musical functions beyond the traditional range and also it doesn’t leave much scope for the artists’ individual expressions. Bali, a small volcanic island, is another home for traditional gamelan and the population mainly embraces Hinduism. People in Bali also consider music as an offering to Gods. The instruments chiefly include large sets of tuned gong, flutes, fiddles, xylophones and the voices range to 25 different varieties. “Balinese music evolved from a complex mixture of local and Javanese sources. Hindus fled Java after the 14th-century collapse of the Javanese Majapaht dynasty to establish in Bali, bringing along their music and musical instruments. One thing that has always seemed remarkable to ethnomusicologists and historians is that Bali was able to sustain its Hindu culture, despite its proximity to Java.” Balinese conduct a competition every year known as ‘Balinese Gamelan Gong Kebyar’ which features an endless intrigues of musical track secrets. The Balinese gamelan is a communal event and its basic character is the interlocking patterning played by a minimum of two individuals. The ingenious methods in which musical parts and lines are composed make it impossible for a single individual to perform it. This music is a difficult art to master and, therefore, one has to start at a very young age to move through the different stages like simple, intermediate and difficult; but the stages do not have any significance in terms of hierarchy value. The players include an assortment of talents and ages which facilitates a wonderful mix of musical and cultural interaction. Gamelan’s basic appeal seems to stem from how the Indonesians associate it with their cultural beliefs and spirituality. The music is played in ritual ceremonies as an offering either to God or to the spirits of the ancestors and this elevates it to an ethereal level. "Gamelan is a spirit, not an object," says noted Indonesian musician Sapto Raharjo, "the instruments are just the medium." (Gamelan Pacifica). It has a profound effect on the audience, lifting them to a state of elation and spiritual bliss. Gamelan has also influenced the western music because of its tremendous sensory appeal. The first time Gamelan was introduced in the US dates back to 1893 and the instrument is still kept in the Field Museum in Chicago. The way Gamelan music is being rooted in the western culture heralds a much wider popularity and acceptance it stands to receive in the world music scene in the near future. Works Cited Home Page, Gamelan Swarasanti Accessed on 20 November 2006. Home Page, Gamelan Pacifica: What is Gamelan? : Accessed on 22 November 2006. Home Page, Sumarsam: Introduction to Javanese Gamelan: Notes for Music 451 (Javanese Gamelan – Beginners) Accessed on 23 November 2006. Home Page, Infinit Net: Accessed on 23 November 2006. Home Page, Oberlin: Javanese Gamelan Accessed on 24 November 2006. Read More