Out of
the many musics created and performed on the populous island of Java, we have
focused on Javanese gamelan music from the courts.
PRIMARY INTERPRETIVE FOCUS
Our primary interpretive focus
for courtly Javanese gamelan music is musical: CYCLIC ORGANIZATION OF MUSIC IN
LAYERS
Components of Javanese
Gamelan Sound-Culture [Music of the Courts in Central Java; there is variation
within region and court v. village in Java itself]
I. Musical Specifics
A.
Pitch –
1.
scales: the seven note pelog
scale and the five-note slendro scale are tuned uniquely in each gamelan
2.
melodic tendencies: instrumental
structuring melodies are based on repeated cells; vocal melodies tend to be
long and drawn out and very lyrical in comparison. The ambitus of gamelan
melodies tends to be narrow.
B. Rhythm -- tempo tends to be varied with
gradual increases and decreases; meter is duple, as is the subdivision. The degree of rhythmic coordination [NOTE
CORRECTION] is a bit more flexible than what we find in Bali.
C. Form --
how is the music organized? CYCLIC on
several layers: middle register, the
structuring melody (melodic skeleton or balungan)
D. Texture – layered, with some sense of blend
among all the layers
E. Timbre --
1. instrumental preferences:
tuned metallophones with a shimmering quality over a clear pitch. This is in contrast to the rather nasal
sounding flute and the bowed single string chordophone (rebab). The nasality of these soft instruments
allows them to be heard through the haze of the metallophones, which tend to
blend strongly. The large GONG is conceptually
the most important instrument in the gamelan, although it is the one that plays
the least number of notes. Follow this
link for a picture of the large gong, or Gong Ageng, from a Javanese
gamelan.
2. vocal preferences,
techniques: a nasal quality to the
singing helps it cut through the blend of the metallophones.
F. Sound intensity -- "loud" and
"soft" are names of the two playing styles; these refer to the
instruments used as much as to the volume level; dynamic range is not varied
much
II. Social Organization of Music
A. Who can participate (play, listen, make
instruments) in this music? Who is
excluded? All musical roles are traditionally
open to men, with women limited to singing, but this has changed to some
extent, as some women are instrumentalists now.
B. How many musicians are appropriate for an
ensemble? Gamelans can range in size
from a few players to many tens of players; 20-25 would be normal at
court.
C. Transmission -- Music conservatories, formal
institutions of learning, now play a vital role in the support and continuation
of this music.
D. Social status of musicians -- leading
musicians in the 20th century have become very respected in Indonesian society
III. Ideas about Music
A. Music and the belief system – An interesting
term for a Javanese aesthetic preference is "ramé,” which translates as
both "tangled" and "beautiful," reflecting a Javanese taste
for complexity.
B. Contexts for use of music -- This being a
mostly Islamic society, this music has been used for political ceremonies and
not religious ones, although events such as a wayang kulit performance
have many contributions from the pre-Islamic religious history of Java. While this music did not evolve as a concert
music for purely for aesthetic enjoyment, that role is becoming more common for
it. It also has been held up as a sort
of symbolic national music to help unify Java and Indonesia as a whole.
C. History of music -- we did not discuss the
historical evolution of gamelan music, although there is plenty of information
about this.
D. Composition -- what is a
"piece" and how does it come to be?
What is the role/status/awareness of a composer? The title, “Gendhing Bubaran Kembang Pacar
pelog patet nem” tells us a lot about the piece, but not about the composer!
E. What is the contribution or
role of improvisation? Vocals – yes;
instrumental, generally no, but the links or transitions from piece to piece
can be indicated spontaneously by the ensemble leader, a drummer.
F. Genres – what categories
exist? What defines them? What maintains them?
The genre of courtly gamelan is in a way [NOTE CORRECTION] maintained by
the instruments themselves -- because of their unique tuning, they are not
going to branch out into playing Beethoven or the Beatles. Additionally, official government support
and the existence of formal conservatories will tend to maintain genre borders
and distinctions.
G. Theory – Javanese theory, which has names for notes
and instruments, was stimulated by the Dutch presence, and evolved several
systems of notation. The list of
numbers we saw and sang in class, cipher notation, is in use today. There is greater and greater interest in writing
about gamelan music within Javanese music conservatories, but in general,
theorizing has not played a significant role in Javanese musicking.
IV. Allied Arts
A. Texts – Texts sung in vocal performance tend
to be very sophisticated poetry, with elaborate schemes of allusion and
substitution of homonyms and synonyms.
Texts are not associated with specific melodies, and can be used in
improvisatory manner by a singer.
B. Movement – dance – not covered. L
C. Theater – wayang kulit. Genre of shadow puppet theater. Follow this link for more
info.
V. Listening & Personal Response
A. 1st hearing
reaction
B. After repeated hearings and
discussion?
C. What would the “ideal”
trained & sympathetic listener-participant find in this music?