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Introduction to the Javanese Gamelan

BackgroundIndonesia is an archipelago in Southeast Asia, comprising over 17,500 islands stretching acrossalmost 3,400 miles of ocean, situated across the Pacific Ring of Fire a densely volcanic region.Approximately 300 of the islands are inhabited, accommodating a diverse range of hundreds ofethnic groups and subgroups each with their own local characteristics, languages, customs,

social structures, rituals, dances, music, theatre and other cultural expressions.

The Southbank Centre Gamelan named Kyai Lebdjiw(the Venerable Spirit of Perfection) wasdonated to the People of Great Britain by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia in 1987. Itoriginates from the island of Java, located in the south-western part of the archipelago, betweenthe islands of Sumatra and Bali.

(http://www.seasite.niu.edu/indonesian/indonesian-map/ind-map-fs.htm)

Java is the most densely populated island in Indonesia with over 124 million people. Its richhistory spans from the era of the oldest human species, the Java man, through periods ofHinduisation, Islamisation and Westernisation. Java also has a rich musical heritage. Gamelan isone form of well-known traditional music from Java, which is also prevalent in the neighbouringisland of Bali.

What is Gamelan?

The term gamelan - derived from the Javanese word gamel meaning to strike or to handle -refers to the ensemble of predominantly percussion instruments on which the traditional gamelanmusicof Java and Bali is played. Vocal music has also had a significant role in the development ofgamelan music, alongside the addition of the rebab a stringed fiddle, the siter(a plucked zither)and the bamboo flute called suling.

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/indonesian/indonesian-map/ind-map-fs.htm

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The Southbank Centre Gamelan is used predominantly for the practice of traditional music fromSurakarta (Solo) and Yogyakarta (Yogya) two principalities in Central Java with strong Courttraditions in music, dance and shadow-puppetry. New music for gamelan is also encouraged, asare improvisation and composition. In Java, gamelan is also used to accompany ceremonies andcelebrations including weddings, birthdays and funerals, village cleansing rituals and socialcommunity events.

The Instruments

(Illustrations from: http://sumarsam.web.wesleyan.edu/Intro.gamelan.pdf)

Rebab Gendr Gambang Suling

Slenthem Bonang Kendang Gong and Kempul Kenong

Saron Demung Saron Barung Saron Penerus Kethuk/Kempyang(Peking)

How does it work?

The layout of the gamelan reflects the role of the different instruments in the music. In the middleof the gamelan, the balungan(or skeleton melody) is played on the bronze metallophones (saronfamily and slenthem). The balungan is punctuated by the larger gongs (gong ageng and kempul)and the horizontally-mounted gongs (kenong, kethukand kempyang) at the back of the gamelan.

At the front of the gamelan a selection of more complex instruments embellish the melody thetwo bonangs (double rows of gong chimes mounted on a frame), gendr (multi-octavemetallophone), rebab (fiddle), gambang (xylophone), siter (plucked zither) and suling (bambooflute). A complete ensemble also includes a grong (male chorus) and pesindhn (solo femalevocalist). The whole gamelan is co-ordinated by the drummer in the centre of the ensemble,playing a selection of kendhang(double-headed drums).

http://sumarsam.web.wesleyan.edu/Intro.gamelan.pdf

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Tuning

A complete Javanese court-style gamelan comprises two sets of instruments, one for each tuningsystem. The notes of each tuning are assigned ciphers or numbers:

slndro (a five-tone pentatonic scale) plog (a seven-tone scale)

Within each of these tunings are three pathet, a Javanese concept referring to both mode andmood, however, no two gamelans are tuned exactly alike. The skeleton melody of a composition isoften notated using Kepatihan cipher notation with added symbols for the structural instrumentssuch as the gong, kempuland kenong.

References:

BOOKS:

Becker, Judith: Traditional Music in Modern Java. Honolulu: The University Press of Hawaii, 1980.Brinner, Benjamin: Knowing Music, Making Music: Javanese Gamelan and the Theory of

Musical Competence and Interaction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.Lindsay, Jennifer: Javanese Gamelan. 2nd.ed. Kualalumpur: Oxford University Press, 1992.Perlman, Marc: Unplayed Melodies: Javanese Gamelan and the Genesis of Music Theory.

University of California Press, 2004.Pickvance, Richard: A Gamelan Manual: A Player's Guide to the Central Javanese Gamelan.

London, Jaman Mas Books, 2006.Sorrell, Neil.: A Guide to the Gamelan. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1990.Sumarsam: Gamelan: Cultural Interaction and Musical Development in Central Java. Chicago,

University of Chicago Press, 1995.

INTERNET: (General Introduction to the Gamelan and useful links)

http://sumarsam.web.wesleyan.edu/Intro.gamelan.pdf

UK Gamelan Network: http://www.gamelannetwork.co.uk/

Southbank Gamelan Players: http://www.sbgp.org.uk/

American Gamelan Institute: http://www.gamelan.org/

Wells Cathedral School Virtual Gamelan:http://www.imusic.org.uk/modulegamelan.asp and http://tre.ngfl.gov.uk/pdf/13089.pdf

Photos: www.flickr.com/photos/southbank_gamelan/

For information regarding Southbank Centre Gamelan Programme, please contact:Sophie Clark, Gamelan Advisor, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

Tel: +44 (0)20 7921 0767 email: sophie.clark@southbankcentre.co.uk

http://www.flickr.com/photos/southbank_gamelan/http://tre.ngfl.gov.uk/pdf/13089.pdfhttp://www.imusic.org.uk/modulegamelan.asphttp://www.gamelan.org/http://www.sbgp.org.uk/http://www.gamelannetwork.co.uk/http://sumarsam.web.wesleyan.edu/Intro.gamelan.pdf