Williams-9-22-23-12

259

Religious and Colonial Influences

in Indonesian politics. Since its independence, Indonesia has undergone serious political upheavals and multiple natural disasters such as the earthquake and tsu nami of 2004, going through five different presidents since 1998 (after two very lengthy terms of its first two presidents), a major recession, and major forest fires that have had a devastating effect on the environment. With a legal system based on civil law and a democratically elected government, Indonesia is now a major exporter of petroleum and mineral products, and its territory includes popular tourist destinations such as the islands of Bali and Java. As it turns out, it is exactly this complicated history that led to the development of Indonesia’s elaborate gong chime musical ensemble, the gamelan . In the Javanese language, gamel means “to strike,” and gamelan means “that which is struck.” That should tell you that this musical style includes percussion! Indonesia’s gamelan ensembles are famous around the world, yet their use occurs mainly on the two islands of Java and Bali. The gamelan includes many types of musical instruments, including a rich array of percussion instruments. One of the most distinctive is the “gong-chime.” Try to imagine a set of tuned kettle-gongs arranged in a row, or in two rows next to each other (Figure 12.4). While the gong-chime is just one of many instruments in an ensemble, it does not look like any other and is an identifying instrument for gamelan. Others include keyed xylophone-type instruments (with wood, bamboo, or bronze keys—the latter is

FIGURE 12.4 Gamelan Sari Oneng in Sumedang, West Java. gamelan—bronze gong-chime ensemble PROPERTY OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS