Big Blog 2: One Final Musical Culture
I'm adding this little note the day after writing and submitting this blog: Somehow the one class I managed to miss all semester was the one where we apparently covered Indonesia and the Gamelan, and I didn't realize that until I started the final after quiz... So here is what is probably a review of what y'all already learned, though hopefully I added a detail or two in here that is new.
When thinking of a final musical culture for this blog, I decided to ask my dad for ideas on what to cover since he seems to somehow know about every type of cool music there is. He started telling me about Gamelan, and pretty soon I was sold on the idea of researching and writing about it for my last blog, so here we go.
To get started, what is Gamelan? According to Britannica, Gamelan is an indigenous orchestra native to Bali and Java Indonesia. Its name originates from the Javanese word "gamel" which means "to strike with a mallet," due to the fact that many of the key instruments are played by (as you may have guessed), being struck with a mallet (Volunteer Programs Bali). Gamelan features various instruments, including varieties of Gongs and tuned metal instruments, struck with mallets as mentioned before. These instruments are arranged in many ways, some even suspended vertically. A sustained melody is often sung, played by a flute, or bowed by a string instrument.
Javanese vs Balinese Gamelans
While gamelans are native to both Java and Bali, there are some differences between the two. Balinese gamelans typically consist of only percussion instruments, and tend to be much more dynamic and fast-paced than their Javanese counterparts (Volunteer Programs Bali). Balinese gamelans use two different tuning systems for their instruments. One is a system known as Slendro, which has a pentatonic scale, the other, Pelog, has a Diatonic scale. Below is an example of a Balinese gamelan.
Javanese gamelans tend to be much quieter and slower. Javanese gamelans utilize the Slendro tuning system. In addition to percussion instruments, Javanese gamelans tend to feature more vocals. While Javanese gamelans don't utilize Pelog, there is great variation in the tuning of instruments from village to village, creating immense variety. Below is an example of a Javanese gamelan, and you'll immediately notice how much calmer and slower paced it is than the Balinese gamelan above.
Uses of Gamelan
Earlier in the semester, we spent some time discussing music and its use in rituals, and gamelan is no exception. Gamelan is most frequently used in religious ceremonies, and plays an essential role. According to Volunteer Programs Bali, many believe that the ability to play music is a gift from the gods, and gamelan is often played in honor of the gods. Gamelan is also used in ceremonies such as cremations, and assorted ceremonies in the street, as well as for entertainment in tourist areas.
Baleganjur is a "simplified," more mobile version of gamelan, which utilizes only the "essential instruments." In baleganjur, an instrument is hung from the musicians neck to be more easily carried.
Instruments
Now that you've heard an example of both Balinese and Javanese gamelans, as well as their uses, we'll look a little more at the specific instruments being played.
One signature instrument of gamelan is the Bonang. According to Instruments of the World, Bonang is an instrument that consists of gongs on a wooden frame that are generally played by hitting them with a wooden paddle. It is played with quick notes that decorate the melody, rather than the main melody line. Below is a picture to give you a visual. The gongs are sometimes called "kettles" or "pots" and vary in pitch. They can be tuned to slendro or pelog, and have differing shapes based on the pitch they create. The lower pitch gongs have a flatter head, while the higher pitched gongs have an arched head.
Gambang Kayu is another important gamelan instrument, and it is essentially an Indonesian xylophone. It is made with wooden keys attached to a wooden frame that helps with resonance. It is played in the same way as any other xylophone, and can be tuned with slendro or pelog. It serves the purpose of an accompanying instrument, but tends to stand out due to its timbre. Below is an image for reference.
Another key instrument is the Kendhang. It is a double membrane drum played by hand that serves the role of controlling the tempo, rhythm, and transitions from one section to another. The body of the drum is often made out of the wood from jackfruit or coconuts. The two membranes have different pitches, with the lower pitched Bam being made from buffalo hide, and the higher pitched Chang made from goatskin. Below is an image of a Kendhang.
The Suling is a flute, often used to carry the melody of the gamelan. It is made of thin bamboo, with a small piece of rattan surrounding the mouth. It is played, as you probably would guess, by blowing air through one end and using various patterns to cover the holes, creating various pitches. When not used to carry the melody, it can be used as an elaborating/accompanying instrument. It can also be tuned to Pelog or Slendro. Below is an image, and you can see the small rattan encircling the mouthpiece.
Unfortunaly, if I were to go into detail on every instrument played in gamelans this blog would probably be three times the length its supposed to be, hopefully that gives you at least a taste of some of the instruments that create such a unique sound. Some other gamelan instruments include Kempul, Gong Ageng, Demung, Saron, Peking, Gendèr, Slenthem, Bedug, Kethuk, Celempung, Siter, Rebab, Kemanak, Kecer, and Keprak. As you can now see, there's a pretty long list of instruments that together create gamelan.
Works Cited
“Bonang.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/art/bonang.
DALY, Cédric. “Bonang.” Encyclopedia Website of the Musical Instruments in Worldwide, http://www.instrumentsoftheworld.com/instrument/14-Bonang.html.
“Gamelan.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/art/gamelan.
Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection , https://omeka-s.grinnell.edu/s/MusicalInstruments.
“Images From the Beede Gallery.” Bonang Barung from Javanese Gamelan at the National Music Museum, http://collections.nmmusd.org/Gamelan/9873/BonangBarung9873.html.
“The Suling.” Metmuseum.org, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/503330#:~:text=The%20suling%20is%20an%20end,palace%20and%20other%20important%20events.
Volunteer Programs Bali Volunteer in Bali. “Balinese Music, Gamelan.” Volunteer Programs Bali - Forever Learning Center, 20 Dec. 2018, https://volunteerprogramsbali.org/balinese-gamelan/.
I really enjoyed reading your blog. I found Indonesia and the Gamelan very interesting when we learned about it in class, so I loved getting to read more about it.
ReplyDeletehey Evelyn i liked reading you blog because of the instruments you put on there because i never seen those before. i found the suling very instresting
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I hate you missed the class when we talked about Indonesia. The instruments you talked about were interesting because I never heard of some of them before.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this blog. I liked how you showed videos and described the music itself then told us about the origins and history of the instruments.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about this topic! The instruments were the most intriguing part for me, specifically the Bonang because its so unique. The video with the Gamelan was another cool aspect.
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