Gamelan is a traditional Javanese, Sundanese, Balinese and Lombok music ensemble in Indonesia which has a pentatonic scale in the slendro and pelog scale systems. Consists of percussion instruments used in karawitan music.
Gamelan musical instruments
A gamelan is a multi-timbre ensemble consisting of metallophones, idiophones, xylophones, aerophones, chordophones, vocal sounds, plucked zithers and hand-played membranophones called drums, controlling the tempo and rhythm of the pieces and the transition from one part to another. Some of the instruments that make up today’s gamelan are shown below:
- 1 Piece of Kendhang Ageng (Kendhang Gending)
- 1 Piece Kendhang Ciblon (Bar)
- 1 Piece of Kendhang Sabet (Kendhang Puppet)
- 1 Piece of Ketipung (Ketipung)
- 1 Piece of Bedug
- 2 Fruits of Bonang
- 2 Bonang Barung (Bonang)
- 2 Fruit Bonang Successor
- 2 Sets of Kenong
- 2 Sets Kethuk
- 2 Kempyang
- 2 Slenthems
- 3 Gender Barung (Gender)
- 3 Successor Gender Fruits
- 2 Saron Demung (Demung)
- 4 Fruits of Saron Barung (Saron/Saron Ricik)
- 2 Peking Saron (Peking/Successary Saron)
- 2 Gong Ageng (Big Gong)
- 2 pieces of Gong Suwukan (Gong Siyem)
- 2 Sets of Gather
- 2 pieces of fiddle
- 2 Xylophones
- 2 Siters
- 2 Pieces of Cempung
- 2 Fruit Flute (Flute)
- 1 Fruit Kecer
- 3 Kepyak Fruits
- Sindhen – Female singer
- Gerong – Male Singer
- Wiyaga (Nayaga) – Gamelan musician
Gamelan history
The existence of gamelan precedes the transition process of Hindu-Buddhist culture that dominates the archipelago, in its early records and thus represents the original art form of Indonesia.
In Javanese mythology, gamelan was created by Batara Guru in 167 Saka (or 230 AD), the god who ruled as king of all Java from a palace at Wukir Mahendra Giri in Medang Kamulan (now Mount Lawu). Batara Guru created a gong as a signal to summon the gods. For a more complex message, he later created two other gongs, thus forming a complete gamelan set.
The earliest images of a set of gamelan musical instruments (music ensembles) are found on the reliefs of the walls of the Borobudur temple built in the 8th century by Gunadharma during the Sailendra dynasty in Magelang Regency, Central Java.[8] The reliefs feature a number of musical instruments including flutes, bells, drums of various sizes, harps, and strummed and plucked stringed instruments, found in the reliefs. However, the relief about the set of musical instruments is said to be the origin of gamelan.
Gamelan instruments were introduced to form a complete set of musical instruments and developed during the Majapahit Kingdom era, and spread to various regions such as Bali, Sunda, and Lombok. According to inscriptions and manuscripts that date from the Majapahit period, the kingdom even had an art hall tasked with overseeing the performing arts, including gamelan. The arts center oversees the construction of musical instruments, and schedules performances.
In the process of penetrating Islam, Sunan Bonang composed gamelan which at that time was very thick with Hindu aesthetics, also giving a new nuance. His compositions at that time gave a transcendental or wirid feel that encouraged a love of life, and added a bonang instrument to a gamelan set.
Within the courts of Java the oldest known gamelans are the Munggang Gamelan and the Ngorek Frog Gamelan, dating from the 12th century. This forms the basis of the fast tempo or “hard style” of gamelan. In contrast, the slow tempo or “soft style” developed from the keanak tradition is also related to the tradition of chanting geguritan (Javanese poetry), in a way that is often believed to be similar to the chorus that accompanies modern bedaya dances. In the 17th century, hard and soft styles mixed, and most became variations on modern Balinese, Javanese, and Sundanese gamelan styles, resulting from the various ways in which these elements were mixed. Thus, despite the apparent diversity of styles, many of the same theoretical concepts, instruments, and techniques are shared among the styles.
The function of gamelan in ancient times
Gamelan is a traditional Javanese folk musical instrument. Gamelan is played on special occasions, such as religious ceremonies, community celebrations, puppet shows, for the royal family, and accompanying dances.
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