Williams-9-22-23-12

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Balinese Gamelan

LISTENING GUIDE 12.2

“Sekar Jupun” (“Japanese Flower”), performed by the musicians of the Peliatan Dance Troupe

A relatively standard form for a kebyar piece includes primary sections separated by a brief transition section. As you listen to this particu lar recording, one of the first things you should notice is that there is a very strong difference between the slightly rounded, muted sound of the reyong (the gong-chime) and the sharper, “pingy” sound of the gangsa (metallophone with suspended keys). Now compare what you can watch—noting the reyong and gangsa parts in the videos—with the sound of the same melody played by different musicians: the musicians of the Peliatan Dance

Troupe. Peliatan, a small town near the cultural center of Ubud on the island of Bali, is famous for its visual art—carving and painting—as well as its music and dance troupe that traveled to Paris in 1931 and to England and the United States in 1952. It was, for most members of the audience, the first time they had seen any performances by Balinese people and the first they had heard of Bali. In the 21st century, the members of Peliatan’s performing arts communities travel abroad, teach foreigners, and continue their important work as musicians and dancers at home.

Timing Section 0:00

Piece begins with a short melody in unison

0:14

Reyong (gong-chime) section

0:47

Entrance of gangsa

1:00

Entrance of steady pulse, pokok (main low-pitched “melody”), and kotekan (interlocking patterns)

1:14 PROPERTY OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Entry of the reyong 1:30 Entry of steady pulse with clear articulation between the low- and high-pitched gongs as the reyong continues its rapid-fire patterns, alternating between loud and soft Drum leads into entry of jegogan (low-pitched metallophone) with percussive beats from the gangsa (higher-pitched metallophones played with hard mallets) 1:56 2:07 Addition of cymbals, playing with the drums 2:58 Entry of gangsa metallophones (higher pitches, hard mallets) 3:08 Gangsa incorporates silences and dampening of instruments 3:15 Entry of high-pitched gangsa kantilan (smallest) metallophone 3:37 Gangsa instruments lead into steady pulse again with reyong and very fast drumming 3:57 Gangsa performing kotekan patterns