Legong ( Balinese : ᬮᬾᬕᭀᬂ , légong ) is a form of Balinese dance . It is a refined dance form characterized by intricate finger movements, complicated footwork, and expressive gestures and facial expressions.
82-480: Legong probably originated in the 19th century as royal entertainment. Legend has it that a prince of Sukawati fell ill and had a vivid dream in which two maidens danced to gamelan music. When he recovered, he arranged for such dances to be performed in reality. Others believe that the Legong originated with the sanghyang dedari , a ceremony involving voluntary possession of two little girls by beneficent spirits. Legong
164-665: A Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity from Indonesia , and encouraged the Indonesian people and the Indonesian government to safeguard, transmit, promote, and develop the gamelan. Methods include the support of national, international and provincial festivals, the establishment of educational curricula including the Gamelan Goes to School program, an intention to increase the numbers of regional gamelan associations, and cultural diplomacy by sending gamelan specialists to global universities. The word gamelan comes from
246-431: A 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
328-478: A consistent speed for all pairs of notes in all registers. This concept is referred to as "ombak," translating to "wave," communicating the idea of cyclical undulation. One instrument, tuned slightly higher, is thought of as the "inhale," and the other, slightly lower, is called the "exhale" (Also called the "blower" and the "sucker," or pengimbang and pengisep in Bali). When the inhale and the exhale are combined, beating
410-475: A diameter of 12 inches. This disc contains recorded messages from Earth for extraterrestrials who can find them. 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 kendang 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
492-590: A faster tempo and uses high notes. Javanese gamelan has pelog and slendro tunings, if the pelog consists of notations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (ji, ro, lu, pat, mo, nem, tu), slendro has notation 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, i (ji, ro, lu, mo, nem, i). Balinese gamelan is one type of traditional gamelan ensemble that originates and develops in the island of Bali. Balinese gamelan is an inseparable ensemble of Balinese life, almost all villages in Bali have gamelan. The gamelan can be used as part of Hindu worship in Bali or as community entertainment in
574-530: A harmonious tone in social life. In Indonesia, gamelan accompanies many cultural activities such as: Under the influence of the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit kingdom , gamelan was used as accompaniment in religious ceremonies with tembang (singing) and wayang performances. Even an accompaniment to a king's performance. In the Negarakertagama manuscripts written by Mpu Prapanca in the 14th century. It
656-411: A king enters the pamelegan (place of worship), scenes of heartache, scenes of anger, or scenes that express revenge. However, in the play of certain notes, the pelog tunings can also give the impression of being happy, light, and lively, for example in the music played on the pelog tunings of barang. Gamelan music is traditionally not notated and began as an oral tradition . In the 19th century, however,
738-424: A person with such sense, and is used as an honorific when discussing esteemed gamelan musicians. The high Javanese word for gamelan is gangsa ( ꦒꦁꦱ ), formed either from the words tembaga ( ꦠꦼꦩ꧀ꦧꦒ ) and rejasa ( ꦉꦗꦱ ) 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). The gamelan predates
820-411: A piece. 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. The gamelan pakurmatan consists of the gamelan kodhok ngorek, the gamelan monggang, the gamelan sekati, and the gamelan carabalen. As for the gamelan ageng is considered
902-1108: A third dancer called a condong or attendant. She sets the scene, presents the dancers with their fans and later plays the part of the raven. Traditionally, fifteen types of legong dance were known. The duration, movement, and narrative of each type differed. Some, for instance, could last for an hour. These types included: Legong is mentioned in "I've Been To Bali Too", the single by Australian folk-rock band Redgum from their 1984 album Frontline . Gamelan Gamelan instruments : slab-type (wilahan) instruments ( saron /sarun/pemade, demung /sarun ganal, Gendèr /kiliningan, slenthem/selentem/jegogan, peking/sarun paking/kantilan, kecrek/keprak), gong-type (pencon) instruments ( gong , kempul , kenong , bonang , trompong, kethuk , talempong , kempyang), String instruments ( siter , celempung, kecapi , rebab ), Bamboo instrument ( suling ), Drums instruments ( kendhang , Bedug , ketipung, gendang beleq ), Wooden instrument ( gambang ) Gamelan ( / ˈ ɡ æ m ə l æ n / ) ( Javanese : ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀ , Sundanese : ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪ , Balinese : ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄ )
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#1732852059360984-415: A way that it was able to stand as a separate musical performance, complete with the accompaniment of the voices of the sindhen. Most of the music rhythms are generally soft and reflect the harmony of life, as the principles of life are generally adopted by Javanese society. Some of them sound quickly according to the event or ritual being held or accompanied by the gamelan like gamelan Banyuwangi which has
1066-532: A year for one week in front of the Grand Mosque. This gamelan is only played by the royal family and courtiers under strict conditions, wearing prescribed traditional clothes, and playing certain sacred music that has existed for centuries. The Gamelan Sekaten exists in halves: divided between the two rival courts in Surakarta and Yogyakarta, each court had a matching second half made. In Sumedang , West Java , there
1148-663: Is a legacy of the Sunan Drajat (one of the Wali Sanga ) which was used for broadcasting the Islamic religion in Paciran, Lamongan. Beaten by the Friends of Sunan Drajat to accompany the tembang Pangkur (panguri isine Qur'an) created by Sunan Drajat himself. This gamelan ensemble is an acculturation of Hindu-Buddhist and Islamic culture, considering that the surrounding community is Hindus, so that it
1230-489: Is a product of local wisdom that has survived to this day. The long history that has been passed by Javanese gamelan is a cultural struggle that continues to be sustainable until now and in the future. Gamelan is inseparable from Javanese customs and human life, where gamelan is almost always there in every Javanese ceremony are held. Javanese gamelan is generally used to accompany dances, dance dramas, theater, puppets, rituals, events and festivals. Until then it developed in such
1312-455: Is a slendro notation tone that is played out of place on purpose. Therefore, there are many scenes of homesickness, love missing, sadness, death, languishing accompanied by slendro tunes. Pelog notation produces an atmosphere that gives the impression of being manly, regal, and sacred, especially in the musical play that uses the pelog nem (six) notation. Therefore, there are many scenes that are accompanied by pelog tunings, such as scenes where
1394-475: Is a traditional Bulgarian bowed string instrument . Alternate spellings are "gǎdulka", "gudulka" and "g'dulka". Its name comes from a root meaning "to make noise, hum or buzz". The gadulka is an integral part of Bulgarian traditional instrumental ensembles, commonly played in the context of dance music. The gadulka commonly has three (occasionally four or five Mincho Minchev) main strings with up to sixteen sympathetic resonating strings underneath introduced by
1476-585: Is also danced at public festivals. Excerpts from Legong dance dramas are put on for tourists. Traditionally, legong dancers were girls who had not yet reached puberty. They began rigorous training at about the age of five. These dancers were regarded highly in the society and usually became wives of royal personages or wealthy merchants. They would usually stop dancing after marriage. However, in present, Indonesia dancers may be of all ages; performances by men in women's costumes are also recorded. Classical Legong enacts several traditional stories. The most common
1558-632: Is also used in the ceremonies of the Catholic church in Indonesia . Certain pieces are designated for starting and ending performances or ceremonies. When an "ending" piece (such as " Udan Mas ") is begun, the audience will know that the event is nearly finished and will begin to leave. Certain pieces are also believed to possess magic powers and can be used to ward off evil spirits. The religious rituals that accompanied by gamelan such as: sekaten , temple rituals, melasti , galungan , Ogoh-ogoh , etc. Gamelan
1640-594: Is an heirloom of the Kingdom of Sumedang Larang , there is a Gamelan Panglipur belonging to Prince Rangga Gede / Kusumahdinata IV (1625–1633) who is also the regent of Mataram . Gamelan was deliberately made to entertain himself after his beloved child died. The Panglipur gamelan along with 9 other ancient gamelan sets are kept at the Museum Prabu Geusan Ulun in Sumedang Regency . One of the ten sets of gamelan
1722-495: Is commonly used in traditional ritual processions such as death ceremonies which we know as the Ngaben tradition. Meanwhile, for human ceremonies, gender is used and for ceremonies in temples, gong gede is usually used. In terms of the development of the era, Balinese gamelan can be divided into 3 types: The Sundanese gamelan is one of the typical gamelan ensemble from West Java and Banten province (Tatar Pasundan ) in Indonesia. In
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#17328520593601804-422: Is considered primary. Slendro notation generally produces a light, cheerful atmosphere and feels busier. This is evidenced by the scenes in the wayang kulit and wayang wong performances such as scenes of war and marching that accompanied by slendro notation. The use of the slendro can also have the opposite impression, such as sad or romantic. As in the case of gending that uses a slendro miring. Slendro miring
1886-600: Is dominated by the sound of flutes makes it not only soft but also mellow. Javanese gamelan is a gamelan that originates and develops in the Central Java and East Java , including the Special Region of Yogyakarta . In the Javanese palaces, the gamelan is divided into two, namely the gamelan pakurmatan and gamelan ageng. Gamelan pakurmatan is used for certain events or rituals in the royal environment. The gamelan pakurmatan set
1968-700: Is easily accepted by the community. The Gamelan Singo Mengkok is now stored in the Museum Sunan Drajat in Lamongan . In the kingdom of Islamic Mataram, Gamelan Kanjeng Kyai Guntur Sari was made in 1566 and Gamelan Kanjeng Kyai Guntur Madu was made in 1642 during the reign of Sultan Agung . Both gamelans called Gamelan Sekati ( Gamelan Sekaten ) which is only beaten/sounded to accompany the Sekaten ceremony. Gamelan Sekaten in Surakarta and Yogyakarta will be played once
2050-451: Is found on the bas-relief of the 8th century Buddhist monument of Borobudur , Central Java. The Borobudur's musicians play lute -like stringed instruments, various kendang drums, various suling flutes, cymbals , bells , metallophones , and xylophones . Some of these musical instruments are indeed included in a complete gamelan orchestra. Musical instruments such as metallophones ( saron , kenong , kecer ), xylophones ( gambang ),
2132-406: Is not as complete as the ageng gamelan, and its shape and pitch are somewhat different from the traditional gamelan owned by the community. Gamelan pakurmatan consists of gamelan kodhok Ngorek, gamelan munggang, gamelan sekati, and gamelan carabalen, while gamelan ageng is the most complete gamelan used for various traditional ceremonies and events in the palace. Gamelan outside the palace, owned by
2214-424: Is often used to accompany religious ceremonies and entertainment. In terms of religion, Balinese Gamelan is often displayed to accompany the running of religious ceremonies or to accompany sacred traditional dances. Meanwhile, in terms of entertainment, Balinese Gamelan is often presented as a musical performance as well as accompaniment to various arts that are entertainment in Bali. Gamelan in Bali known as gambelan
2296-421: Is produced, meant to represent the beating of the heart, or the symbol of being alive. It is thought that this contributes to the "shimmering" sound of Balinese gamelan ensembles. In the religious ceremonies that contain gamelan, these interference beats are meant to give the listener a feeling of a god's presence or a stepping stone to a meditative state. The scale roughly approximates that of the phrygian mode of
2378-544: Is said that the gamelan accompaniment was used by King Hayam Wuruk in performing a mask dance with eight young people accompanied by a song from the Queen Mother. With the collapse of the Majapahit kingdom and being replaced by the Islamic kingdom of Demak led by Raden Patah , gamelan as a traditional musical instrument did not just disappear. Its function is used as a media tool for preaching Islam. Gamelan's role in rituals
2460-488: Is so important that there is a Javanese saying, "It is not official until the gong is hung". Some performances are associated with royalty, such as visits by the sultan of Yogyakarta . Certain gamelans are associated with specific rituals, such as the Gamelan Sekaten , which is used in the celebration of Mawlid an-Nabi ( Muhammad 's birthday). In Bali , almost all religious rituals include gamelan performance. Gamelan
2542-620: Is sometimes called "garap." Some teachers have also devised certain notations, generally using kepatihan principles, for the cengkok (melodic patterns) of the elaborating instruments . Some ethnomusicologists, trained in European music, may make transcriptions onto a Western staff. This entails particular challenges of tuning and time, sometimes resulting in unusual clefs . 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
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2624-692: Is the gamelan Sari Oneng Parakansalak from Sukabumi , West Java , which on 31 March 1889, participated in celebrating the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. On 5 September 1977, Gending ketawang puspawarna ( Javanese gamelan music) which was created by Mangkunegara IV (1853–1881) was carried by two satellites of The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) named Voyager I and Voyager II . The satellites are in charge of making observations on planets in outer space. The two satellites are equipped with gold-plated copper disks with
2706-653: Is the tale of the East Javanese king of Lasem from the Malat, a collection of heroic romances. He is at war with another king, the father (or brother) of Princess Rangkesari. Lasem wants to marry the girl, but she detests him and tries to run away. Becoming lost in the forest, she is captured by Lasem, who imprisons her and goes out for a final assault against her family. He is attacked by a monstrous raven, which foretells his death. The dramatics are enacted in elaborate and stylized pantomime. The two little actresses are accompanied by
2788-573: Is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese , Sundanese , and Balinese peoples of Indonesia , made up predominantly of percussive instruments . The most common instruments used are metallophones (played with mallets ) and a set of hand-drums called kendang , which keep the beat . The kemanak , a banana-shaped idiophone , and the gangsa , another metallophone, are also commonly used gamelan instruments on Bali . Other notable instruments include xylophones , bamboo flutes (similar to
2870-458: 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. Colin McPhee , a Canadian composer who spent much time in Bali, remarked, "Deviations in what is considered
2952-461: Is used to accompany various traditional ceremonies in Indonesia, gamelan kodhok ngorek, gamelan monggang, gamelan carabalen, and gamelan ageng are used for important ceremonies related to kings in the Yogyakarta and Surakarta palaces such as the king's coronations ceremony, the king's birthday ceremony, the coronation anniversary, royal guest reception, baby birth , marriage, death, and so on. Outside
3034-731: The Dodecanese , Greece; the Lira Calabrese of Calabria ; Italy and the Classical kemence in Istanbul , Turkey. The body and neck of the instrument are carved out of one piece of wood, the body forming a bowl or gourd like a lute. The top (soundboard), of straight-grained softwood is also carved, with a shallower arch. The overall construction is quite heavy compared to, say, a violin, though some gadulkas are exquisitely built. (The instrument generally lacks any real decoration or ornamentation, apart from
3116-527: 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 puppet plays). In Javanese mythology,
3198-454: The Javanese word gamel ( ꦒꦩꦼꦭ꧀ ), which refers to playing of percussion instruments or the act of striking with a mallet , and the noun -forming suffix an . 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
3280-791: The National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture . On 15 December 2021, Gamelan was inscribed onto the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity . The nomination builds on the archaeological connection to the Borobudur , and includes a focus on its role in fostering a sense of national identity and pride, in addition to wellbeing aspects such as mental health,
3362-518: The Sultanate of Cirebon , on the north coast of Java. The gamelan Sakati in the Keraton Kasepuhan is originated from Demak Sultanate in 1495 which was a gift from Sultan Trenggono of Demak for the marriage of Ratu Mas Nyawa (daughter of Raden Patah, king of Demak) to Prince Bratakelana (son of Sunan Gunung Jati from his wife Syarifah Bagdad). This gamelan is closely related to the early days of
Legong - Misplaced Pages Continue
3444-452: The threshold of pain . This does not apply to small ensembles like a gamelan gendér . The sekaha is led by a single instructor whose job it is in the community to lead this group and to come up with new pieces. When they are working on a new piece, the instructor will lead the group in practice and help the group form the new music as they are practicing. When the instructor creates a new song, he leaves enough open for interpretation that
3526-531: The Banjar in villages of Bali. Because gamelan also functions as a medium for socializing with each other, it can be seen that playing gamelan requires cooperation between players to get the desired tone or sound harmony. This Balinese gamelan has several differences from gamelan instruments in general, both in form and how to play it. This Balinese gamelan is usually performed as an accompaniment to an art performance in Bali, both sacred and entertainment. Balinese gamelan
3608-482: The Indian bansuri ), a bowed string instrument called a rebab (somewhat similar to the gadulka of Bulgaria ), and a zither -like instrument called a siter , used in Javanese gamelan. Additionally, vocalists may be featured, being referred to as sindhen for females or gerong for males. Although the popularity of gamelan has declined slightly since the introduction of modern popular music to Indonesia,
3690-501: The Javanese court consists of: In Bali , the Gamelan instruments are all kept together in a balé , a large open space with a roof over the top of it and several open sides. Gambelan (the Balinese term) are owned by a banjar , nobility or temples and kept in their respective compounds. In case of banjar ownership the instruments are all kept there together because people believe that all
3772-478: The Majapahit period, the kingdom even had a government office in charge of supervising the performing arts, including the gamelan. The arts office oversaw the construction of musical instruments, as well as scheduling performances at the court. In Bali, there are several gamelan selonding that have existed since the 9th century during the Sri Kesari Warmadewa reign. Some words refer to gamelan selonding
3854-484: The Sultan's Jumenengan (coronation ceremony), welcoming highly respected guests at the palace, royal weddings, and Garebeg. This gamelan is only owned by the court and the general public is not allowed to have a similar gamelan set. In the wengker or Ponorogo culture, in the 15th century Gamelan Reyog was not only used to accompany the art of Reog Ponorogo but was also used during war, the troops of ki Ageng Surya Alam from
3936-459: The Western major scale (E-E on the white keys of the piano), with the notes EFGBC corresponding to the note positions 12356 in the slendro scale used by most gamelan. In addition to non-western scales, Javanese gamelan uses a combination of tempo and density known as Irama , relating how many beats on the saron panerus instrument there are to notes in the core melody or balungan ; density
4018-648: The art form is still widely respected, being commonly played in many traditional ceremonies. It may also be performed as entertainment for some modern events, such as official cultural, corporate, government or educational functions, both formal or informal. Gamelan is also, traditionally, arranged and performed to accompany religious rituals , ceremonies , dance theatre, dance-drama , traditional Indonesian theater , wayang puppets theatre , singing , concerts , festivals , exhibitions , and many more. Many consider gamelan to be an integral part of Indonesian culture . In 2014, Gamelan traditions were recognized as part of
4100-542: The bamboo flute ( suling ), drums in various sizes (kendang), cymbals, bell (genta), and bowed and plucked string instruments were identified in this image. These reliefs of this musical ensemble are suggested to be the ancient form of the gamelan. The instruments developed into their current form during the Majapahit Empire . According to the inscriptions and manuscripts ( Nagarakretagama and Kakawin Sutasoma ) dated from
4182-418: The bell-tree ( byong ) in the 3-toned gamelan kodhok ngorek . Regionally variable village gamelan are often distinguished from standard gamelan (which have the rebab as the main melodic instrument) by their inclusion of a double-reed wind ( selompret , slompret , or sompret ) in addition to variable drum and gong components, with some also including the shaken bamboo angklung . Gamelan in Javanese society
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#17328520593604264-456: The bowed Byzantine instrument of the 9th century AD and ancestor of most Western European bowed instruments. Similar bowed instruments and lira descendants have continued to be played in the Mediterranean and Southeast Europe until the present day, for example the similar in construction Gusle from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania; also the lyra of Crete and
4346-403: The chorus that accompanies the modern bedhaya dance. In the 17th century, these loud and soft styles mixed, and to a large extent, the variety of modern gamelan styles of Bali, Java, and Sunda resulted from different ways of mixing these elements. Thus, despite the seeming diversity of styles, many of the same theoretical concepts, instruments, and techniques are shared between the styles. In
4428-520: The court of Java ( Surakarta Sunanate and Yogyakarta Sultanate ) the oldest known ensembles, Gamelan Munggang and Gamelan Kodok Ngorek , are apparently from the 12th century. These formed the basis of a "loud style" of music. These Gamelan are the oldest existing gamelan instruments and still preserved well in the courts. The Gamelans become the heirloom of the Javanese courts. Gamelan Kodhok Ngorek and Gamelan Monggang are sacred gamelan that will only be sounded for Javanese court ritual ceremonies such as
4510-402: The design of the peghead.) The bridge, placed between the two roughly D-shaped soundholes, has one foot placed on the top, while the other foot rests on top of the soundpost which contacts the inside of the back. The vibration of the strings is thus directly transferred to both the top and back of the instrument. Unlike many other stringed instruments, there is no nut at the top of the strings:
4592-598: The development of interpersonal skills and the connection between its cosmology and an ethics of mutual respect and care. The listing consists of Javanese gamelan (gamelan jawa) of Central Java and Special Region of Yogyakarta , Balinese gamelan (gamelan bali) of Bali , Sundanese gamelan (gamelan sunda) of West Java , Madurese gamelan (gamelan madura) and Banyuwangian Gamelan (gamelan banyuwangi) of East Java , Gendang beleq of West Nusa Tenggara , Banjarese gamelan (gamelan banjar) of South Kalimantan , Gamelan peking of Lampung , and Talempong of West Sumatra as
4674-462: 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 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
4756-448: The gamelan music brings dance to life and graceful to see. The main function of the gamelan as a dance accompaniment is to provide rhythm, beat, or tempo guidance. So that the selection of accompanying music must be adjusted to the rhythm and theme of the dance. Dance performance using live gamelan is a complex artistic activity. Gamelan in dance is used as an illustration or support for the atmosphere. The accompanying gamelan music must give
4838-558: The gamelan was created by Sang Hyang Guru in Saka era 167 ( c. AD 230 ), the god who ruled as king of all Java from a palace on the Maendra mountain in Medang Kamulan (now Mount Lawu ). He needed a signal to summon the gods and thus invented the gong. For more complex messages, he invented two other gongs, thus forming the original gamelan set. The earliest image of a musical ensemble
4920-713: The general public, is usually the gamelan ageng, although it is not as complete as that of the palace, according to the needs and objectives of the gamelan ownership. The Javanese gamelan used by the communities has many kinds and types including the gamelan gadhon , gamelan siteran, gamelan Wayang , gamelan bambu, gamelan prawa, gamelan pelog, gamelan renteng, gamelan slendro, gamelan Banyuwangi , and gamelan Madura . In oral Javanese culture distinctions are made between complete or incomplete, archaic and modern, and large standard and small village gamelan. The various archaic ensembles are distinguished by their unique combinations of instruments and possession of obsolete instruments such as
5002-468: The group can improvise, so the group will write the music as they practice it. There are many styles in Balinese gamelan. Kebyar is one of the most recent ones. Some Balinese gamelan groups constantly change their music by taking older pieces they know and mixing them together, as well as trying new variations of the music. Their music constantly changes because they believe that music should grow and change;
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#17328520593605084-509: The impression of "speaking" or communication and constitute the perfect unity between music and dance. Typically players in the gamelan will be familiar with dance moves and poetry, while dancers are able to play in the ensemble. Some examples of famous dance include: bedhaya , serimpi , gambyong, Bambangan Cakil , legong , oleg tamulilingan , pendet , cendrawasih , barong , baris , jaipong , topeng , Bajidor Kahot , gandrung , etc. Gadulka The gadulka ( Bulgarian : гъдулка )
5166-427: The instruments belong to the community as a whole and that no one person has ownership over an instrument. Not only is this where the instruments are stored, but this is also the practice space for the sekaha (Gamelan orchestra group). The open walls allow for the music to flow out into the community where the rest of the people may enjoy it. Balinese gamelan cannot be heard inside closed rooms, because it easily crosses
5248-532: The king and his family and only served when the corpse departs to the cemetery. Meanwhile, gendhing offerings at duhkitan ceremonies in the general public (outside the palace environment) are usually served at the time of the death of musical artists of dance, musical puppetry, wayang orang, cultural observers, and theater using the gamelan gadhon ensemble. Almost all dances originating from the island of Java and Bali are accompanied by gamelan music. Gamelan gives spirit and beauty to live dance performances. The sound of
5330-420: The kraton (palaces) of Yogyakarta and Surakarta developed distinct notations for transcribing the repertoire. These were not used to read the music, which was memorized, but to preserve pieces in the court records. The Yogyanese notation is a checkerboard notation, which uses six or seven vertical lines to represent notes of higher pitch in the balungan (melodic framework), and horizontal lines which represent
5412-462: The legendary Mincho Nedyalkov. Only the main melodic strings are touched by the player's fingers and the strings are never pressed all the way down to touch the neck. The gadulka is held vertically, with the bow held perpendicular in an under-hand hold. There is a smaller variant of the instrument in the Dobrudja region with no sympathetic strings at all. Gadulka's possible origin may be the lira ,
5494-404: The manuscript Sanghyang Siksa Kandang Karesian , the art of gamelan is estimated to have entered in the 16th century. In this text, at that time there was a gamelan player called K umbang Gending and a musical expert called Paraguna . Sundanese gamelan is also called Degung . The word Degung is said to have originated from the word "Ratu-agung" or "Tumenggung", because at that time Gamelan Degung
5576-446: The most complete in the Javanese court. The Gamelan Ageng instruments are usually owned by the general public (artists, schools, studios, and other communities) in Java and outside Java. This gamelan is used to accompany arts or rituals either in the palace or in the general public, the gamelan can use a complete gamelan or less. A set of complete Javanese Gamelan Ageng Ensemble maintained by
5658-490: The notes. Today this notation is relatively rare, and has been replaced by kepatihan notation , which is based on the Galin-Paris-Chevé system . Kepatihan notation developed around 1900 at the kepatihan Palace in Surakarta, which had become a high-school conservatory. The pitches are numbered (see the articles on the scales slendro and pélog for an explanation of how), and are read across with dots below or above
5740-473: The numbers indicating the register, and lines above notes showing time values; In vocal notation, there are also brackets under groups of notes to indicate melisma. Like the palace notation, however, Kepatihan records mostly the balungan part and its metric phrases as marked by a variety of gongs. The other parts are created in real time, and depend on the knowledge each musician has of his instrument, and his awareness of what others are playing; this "realization"
5822-511: The only exception to this is with their most sacred songs which they do not change. A single new piece of music can take several months before it is completed. Men and women usually perform in separate groups. A set of complete Balinese gamelan ensemble consists of: 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 to
5904-451: The palace in Java, gamelan is used for Wedding reception , birth ceremonies, circumcision ceremonies, rice harvesting, ruwatan ceremonies, and death ceremonies (dhukitan). The musical presentation in the dhukitan ceremony in the general public is different from that in Palace. Gendhing at dhukitan ceremonies in the palace use the kodhok ngorek gamelan instrument, only intended for the death of
5986-542: The same scale are so large that one might with reason state that there are as many scales as there are gamelans." This view is contested, however, by some teachers of gamelan, and there have been efforts to combine multiple ensembles and tuning structures into one gamelan to ease transportation at festival time. One such ensemble is gamelan Manikasanti , which can play the repertoire of many different ensembles. Balinese gamelan instruments are built in pairs that are tuned slightly apart to produce interference beats , ideally at
6068-505: 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 generally grouped geographically, with the principal division between the styles favored by the Balinese , Javanese , and Sundanese peoples. Javanese gamelan has soft and slow tones, while Balinese gamelan has strong and dynamic tones with fast music rhythms, while Sundanese gamelan which
6150-456: The series of beats, read downward with time. The fourth vertical line and every fourth horizontal line (completing a gatra ) are darkened for legibility. Symbols on the left indicate the colotomic or metric structure of gongs and so forth, while specific drum features are notated in symbols to the right. The Solonese notation reads horizontally, like Western notation, but does not use barlines. Instead, note values and rests are squiggled between
6232-401: The smaller gauges or wound with steel or bronze in the larger ones; they are basically guitar strings. The strings are secured to the tailpiece by their ball ends. While various tunings are (and have been) used, the standard tuning for the gadulka is A-E-A for the three playing strings; the sympathetics (resonating strings) are tuned chromatically to cover all notes besides A and E (depending on
6314-664: The spread of Islam by Wali Sanga in Java . At the Keraton Kasepuhan , the gamelan Sakati is played on the Idul Adha month of Hajj (Zulhijah) in the Sri Manganti building when the sultan and his relatives head to the Grand Mosque. This gamelan is kept in the Museum Pusaka Keraton Kasepuhan Cirebon. In Lamongan , East Java , there is an ancient gamelan from the 15th century called Gamelan Singo Mengkok . This gamelan
6396-453: The strings are simply stretched between a tuning peg at the top and the tailpiece at the bottom, passing over the bridge (the playing strings) or through holes in the bridge (the sympathetics). The tailpiece is typically made out of bone, and secured to the carved projecting "endpin" by stout steel wire. The endpin also serves to hold the bottom of the instrument to a strap or belt worn by the player. Gadulka strings are steel, either plain in
6478-437: The village of Kutu played gamelan reyog before the war took place against Majapahit, which was in coalition with Demak during the attack. Wengker, as a result Wengker always gets his victory before the heirloom of ki Ageng Surya Alam falls into the hands of the enemy. A "soft style" developed out of the kemanak tradition and is related to the traditions of singing Javanese poetry , in a manner often believed to be similar to
6560-475: The word gamelan . At the same time, the expression gamelan degung may be a way to point at a gamelan ensemble tuned to degung scale. The term karawitan ( ꦏꦫꦮꦶꦠꦤ꧀ ) refers to classical gamelan music and performance practice, and comes from the Javanese word rawit ( ꦫꦮꦶꦠ꧀ ) of Sanskrit origin, meaning 'intricate' or 'finely worked', referring to the sense of smoothness and elegance idealized in Javanese music. Another word, pangrawit ( ꦥꦁꦫꦮꦶꦠ꧀ ), means
6642-558: Was found in some ancient Balinese inscriptions and manuscripts. Today, gamelan selonding is stored and preserved well in ancient temples of Bali. It is considered sacred and used for religious ceremony purposes, especially when the big ceremony is held. Gamelan Selonding is part of daily life and culture for some indigenous people in ancient villages such as Bungaya, Bugbug , Seraya, Tenganan Pegringsingan , Timbrah, Asak, Ngis, Bebandem , Besakih , and Selat in Karangasem Regency . In
6724-463: Was very popular with the officials. There are three types of Sundanese gamelan, including: Outside the main core on Java and Bali , gamelan has spread through migration and cultural interest, new styles sometimes resulting as well. The variety of gamelan can be found in over 25 countries outside Indonesia, presenting both traditional and experimental repertoire. For some Indonesians, gamelan has high philosophical values, in terms of sound, roles, and
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