Gamelan

Gamelan

1. History

   • Bronze-age technology
   • 1300-1500: Majapahit
     • 1500's - 1900's flourishing of culture
       • Dutch ( late 19th - early 20th ) : Puputan
   • tied to 'Agama Hindu' religion

2. Music from Bali

   • important: culture, instruments, musical structure
     • 210 day calender
     • Oldalan festival annual festival
       • Anniversary of the mother temple
         • Gunung Agung (volcano) - mount meru
     • Music in Balinese life
       • community
         • Banjar (smallest political unit
         • Sekaha (gamelan club)
         • religion and art are integrated
       • concept
         • Rame: copiousness or fullness
         • Taksu : the charismatic power of a great performer
     • modernisation
       • tourists
         • attention of scholars : walter spies, colin mcphee
           • Academy of : KOKAR high school
             • STSI : college of performing arts
               • competitions and arts festivals
                 • Pesta Kesenian

3. Scales in Bali

   • All gamelan have an individual or unique tuning
     • instruments are grouped in pairs
       • pairs are tuned slightly apart
         • The two waves of different frequency results in constructive and destructive interference
         • difference in volume
         • produces beating/shimmering - ombak (wave)
   • several tuning systems
     • most common have 4,5,7 notes
       • shared with java
       • 7 is uncommon
         • usually 5 notes are extracted
   • Two types
     • Pelog
       • Pelog scales have 7 notes
         • Selisir uses 5 of these notes
           • ding,dong,deng,dung,dang
             • C#,D,E - G#,A -
         • Tembung has 5 also
           • dung,dang,ding,dong,deng
             • C#,D - F#,G#,A -
         • Sunaren
           • dung,dang,ding,dong,deng
             • - D,E, - G#,A,B
       • means beautiful
     • slendro
       • ding,dong,deng,dung,dang
         • A, C, D, E, G