Gamelan

In this episode, you will hear the beautiful music of Indonesian Gamelan.

As soon as you touch down in Bali, you'll be greeted by the soothing sounds of traditional Balinese music. The more of the island you visit, the more likely it is that you will hear the gamelan being played, whether in a hotel lobby, spa, restaurant, or town squares.

What is different about Balinese Gamelan to other types? The Balinese Gamelan is a kind of music that originated in Java but made its way to Bali where it has been infused with powerful rhythms and harmony. 

Balinese Gamelan has powerful dynamic tones with faster beats and rhythms. Whereas Javanese Gamelan has much gentler, slower tones. Sundanese Gamelan is soft and mellow with the sound of flutes dominating.

Today, Gamelan remains an integral part of Balinese Hindu rituals and may also be enjoyed by members of Bali's Banjar communities as a form of group entertainment. The Balinese Gamelan provides a setting for people to meet and mingle since it's often played in unison with religious rites and musical performances for the purpose of entertainment.

Gamelan history reaches back to the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, when the bronze iron age reached Indonesia. Primarily in Java, that period produced a variety of bronze and iron weapons and other objects such as bronze kettle drum, the first known gong. 

Horizontally suspended, these gongs were carried into war. The smaller ones slung over the backs of mounted soldiers and the larger carried by two warriors and played by a third. The first known Javanese Gamelan consisting of multiple instruments appeared in the fourth century AD.

According to Javanese mythology, the deity Sang Hyang Guru who reigned over all of Java from his castle atop the Mahenra mountain in Medang Kamulan in Saka period was responsible for the birth of Gamelan. Apparently, he came up with the idea using a gong as a signal to call upon the gods. The term Gamelan is used to describe orchestral arrangements that include metallophones, xylophones, flutes, gongs, vocals, and bowed and plucked strings among other instruments.

Over the following centuries, the Gamelan spread from Central Java to other parts of Southeast Asia, resulting in a wide variety of styles now indigenous to specific geographic areas. A Central Javanese Gamelan is unlike a typical ensemble in East Java. Likewise, Bali alone contains 22 to 25 distinct types of Gamelan. These variations are apparent in the sound, the shapes of the instruments, the way they are combined, and the style in which they are played.

In contemporary Java Gamelans are owned by puppeteers and other individuals, communal organizations, government offices, radio and television stations, theaters, museums and palaces. Consistent with centuries of traditions, the ensemble's main function is to accompany religious or ceremonial rituals including rain inducing ceremonies in the central Javanese rice fields, trance ceremonies and weddings.

Indonesians from the Javanese, Sudanese, and Balinese ethnic groups are particularly well known for performing the traditional ensemble music. 

Indonesia became fully independent of the Netherlands in 1949 The new leaders had the unenviable task of creating a nation-state out of a collection of different islands, cultures, religions, and ethnic groups. The first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, established publicly funded Gamelan schools during the 1950s and 1960s in order to encourage and sustain this music as one of the national art forms of Indonesia. Some Indonesians objected to this elevation of a musical style associated primarily with Java and Bali as a "national" art form. Especially because Indonesia is a multiethnic, multicultural country, and of course, there are no universal cultural properties.

Today, Gamelan is still an important feature of shadow puppet shows, dances, rituals and other performances in Indonesia. Although stand alone Gamelan concerts are unusual, the music may also be heard frequently on the radio. Most Indonesians today have embraced this ancient musical form as their national sound.

The audio in this podcast episode was performed by Gamelan Tunas Mekar. Based in Denver, Colorado, Gamelan Tunas Mekar is a community ensemble under the direction of Balinese composer and artist-in-residence, I Made Lasmawan and family.