Chapter 7
Republic of Indonesia
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17,000 islands (close to 6,000 inhabited)
Southeast Asia
Formerly Dutch East Indies Company (colonized by Dutch)
Independence: 1945 (full sovereignty, 1949)
Java
 Jakarta (capital)
 Surakarta and Yogyarkarta (Central Java – gamelan)
 National unity efforts:
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Unity in Diversity (slogan)
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Bahasa Indonesia (language)
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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
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Similarities
 Instruments
 Gongs, metallophones (gangsa in Bali), drums, end-blown
bamboo flutes, bowed chordophones
 Cyclic forms
 Related tuning systems, scales, modes
 Similar polyphony (higher/faster, lower/slower)
 Melodic layers: core melody, melodic elaboration
 Hindu basis and related musical symbolism
 Associations with dance, dance-drama, shadow puppetry
(wayang), and other arts
 UNESCO wayang video (5:00):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfydro4X2t0
Differences
 Energy, tempo
 Mood
 Social symbolism
 Drumming
 Interlocking vs. multiple-melody textures
 Paired tuning (male-female) of instruments (Bali)
 OMI 22
The Balinese
Gamelan
Beleganjur
Audio 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 dancedrama
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.c
om/watch?v=nAUoa9p
mokA
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:
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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 style
 Originated in 1986
 Two pioneering composers: Sukarata, Asnawa
 Style is exhibitionistic rather than functional
 Innovations of kreasi style:
 Compositional originality
 Ensemble virtuosity
 Showmanship emphasis (including gerak)
 Varied musical textures
Musical Examples
 Contest performance – composer: Sukarata (CD 2-15)
 “Wira Ghorava Cakti ’95” – composer: Suandita (CD 2-16)
 Distinctive features of this piece:
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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-zOo
 Follow Guided Listening Quick Summary GLQS, p. 108
 Awesome 2005 contest performance!
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28-5r9-BdwQ
Crossing International Borders
 Western composers: Debussy, Cage, Reich, Glass,
Tenzer
 Indonesian 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)
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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