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    12 views12 pages

    Brinner SKetches of Javanese Gamelan

    Uploaded by

    Reever Julian

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    BENjAMIN BRINNER KNowinc MUSIC, Makine MUSIC Javanese Gamelan and the Theory of Musical Competence and Interaction Chicaco Srupiss ix Erlwomveicoroo} Cicace Srupine lx Erlexome y NOTICE: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code) Epironiat Boan Mfr | Karo Hr’ aie Sot, Anny Se “The Universi of Chicago Pres Kay Kinufnan Shelemay, and Bownie C. Wade > ‘Chicago & London 1989), for Javanese se Jsuna-EslahDictnary by Elinor Cask Horne (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1978) NAMES AND TITLES Names are spelled according to the usage oftheir bearers. Thus, Mul Jono and Djoko rather than the modern Mulyono and Joko or theater. tative Mulyana and Joka have avoided the use of honoriis—not out Of dieespect but because they do not sit well in the discourse ofthe ‘Westen academic world, Todo it ight would ental eher false democ ratization of a highly satus conscious society —adding the same tte, spak or Pak, infront of ll the ment names—or the unwieldiness of ful les sch as Raden Ngabes (Maropangrawt) or Kangjeng Raden “Tumenggung for (Wastodiningrat) that can change every few years i the individual has active connections witha royal cour. NOTATION Javanese gamcan music s most clearly and economically represented by 2 system of cipher notation (used for most ofthe examples in this book) that hs been widely adopted in this cenary. The pitches of sido are inicated 123 5 and 6 in ascending order with no a prion hierarchy, ‘lg pitches are numbered 12 34 5.67. Ptches an octave higher have ‘3 dot above the number, while a dot below signifies pitches an octave below the middle register Since ganda tuning varies greatly both in absolute pach and inthe relative sizeof intervals, cipher notation pro vides feible representation that doesnot imply a specific tuning, Dv ‘ation sndieated by graphic spacing, beats are equidistant on the page, and subdivisions ae grouped with horizontal beams similar to Western ‘notation, Musical units are almost exclusively binary and end:-weighted So the lst bea n 2 group of four i stronger and more important than the preceding ones. Like tuning, this aii also poorly represented by staf notation. For the benef of those readers who are accustomed 2 cipher notation | hive incided 3 few examples in staff notation as an approximate tarsation, The transcriptions are highly selective, exclu Ing rhythmic ruances and indications of dynamic levels and tempo. A Sketch oF CENTRAL JAVANESE GAMELAN | samen can range from 2 hand of portable instruments payed by thee or four musicians to large aray with a many 3s Wwenty-fve in strumentalss and ten to igen singers The instruments ofa amon Constitute a matched et witha more or less unique tuning tha inhibits the tansfer of insamente other than tunable drums and stringed instru ‘ments from one ensemble to another. Ths uniqueness reflected nthe practice of naming 3 dae the principal gongs may also have indivi al names and receive offerings. large gamle is beyond the means ‘of most musicans—although iron and brass sstruments offer cheaper Subsiutes for the more desable bronze instruments—and is usally ‘owned by a wealthy patron, a shadow play puppeteer, or an institution Such a3 bank, school, or goverament office Tn one form or another the ensemble music of geno hasbeen en joyed and performed by Javanese from social levels ranging from beg [prs in the sttets to kings. Abroad, ver changing tradition of inde. Fite antiquity encompasses an aray of socially and regionally defined ‘aviants Within the swirl of moder if, with ts inescapable overlay of pop music, gamelan and associated performance ats continue to be val: ted bya lily broad sector af the public and evince relatively moderate responses to modernization and ouside influences. “The terms Hixingon and ayonayon denote performances of gan sone, without dance o theater These typically occu at fri celebra tions suchas weddings, icumeisions and birthdays but in this century have als spread to radio broadeass. Public ganlanconcers other than tgdon compentions ae aranty. Ganele music abo integral 1 wade ‘ona avanesetheatnieal genres and to modern innovations that have srown out ofthese genes. The types of theater that are most prominent 2and most important for ths hook are yay it, shadow theater sing fat puppets carved of water bullalo hide, and waysng wow, in which, actos sng, dance, and ac, Both types of theater involve substantial im prowsation, drawing ona large, wellknown stock of plots, characters, modes of speech, verbal formulas, musical compositions, and choreo: araphic elements. The term “puppeteer” hardly begins to do justice to the many roles and complex competence of the hal who i the cen tral performer in wayang bat He (or occasionally she) creates the story, narrates, speak for the puppet n 3 range of voices, and moves them 2 well as singing and diectng the gndan The dislon role and his interaction with musicians willbe dcused toward the end of this book, In the closely related genre of wayang wong, t00, 2 dbvlony participates and controls certain aspects ofthe performance although his toe ‘more circumscribed since the actorldancers speak their own lines and make their own moves ‘Gendlar accompanies many types of dance in varios social contexts and with connotations ranging fom exqusitely refined female court dances invested with mystical meaning through displays of martial prowess of feminine beauty t performances with lisks to prostitution Some ypes of dance overlap with theater, representing yang episodes and even including a daly ina drastically reduced role, In this brief overview the instruments of a amen are presented accowding to instrament ype and principal musial function (cme: marking instumens, base melody instruments, elaborating instr rents, drums), For notated examples and more detaled descnptions of the individual tioms, see Seton 1982 oF 1993. Gongs of various sizes, pitches, and timbres provide a regular rhythmic framework for most nel music, marking phases and groups of phrases or adding synco: pated driv. All have boses and are carly tuned to specific pitches ‘A ganln wsally inches «wo very large hanging tongs (md ages) about a yard in diameter that ae lower in pitch than all he other ist ments and are very sonocous witha distinctive amplitude vibrato (see Giles 1974). One or the other of these is played 3 the end of most musical eyeles. One to six shahtly smaller and higher pitched gongs (caed gon suaskon or gong syn) ae played co mark cycles i the shore ‘6s pieces or to emphasize ceain phrase endings, The smallest hanging ‘gongs commonly used are koma They ae about one and a half feet slameter, range in number from three to cleven, ae pitched slighty higher than the gong suuhanand are used to mark smaller sical units Kreg are horizontally suspended gongs pitched inthe octave above the kewpal and stuck with a harder mallet, producing longer, more ringing tone In most pieces hong strokes mark phrase ends. The khuk isa single, small, hrzontal gong with a dull, damped sound that is played ina syncopated manner matkng the middle ofa beat ora group of beats. The smallest gong, knbyan. i played singly or ina pair to ‘mark even smaller temporal divisions, it ht a ringing sound one and 3 hralforewo octaves higher than the hbk with which is paved. Ocea sionally one finds two smaller hanging gongs, eka and mos, which are used instead of the mpg to demarcate further subdivisions ‘Alona consists often, welve, of fourteen small gongs suspended horizontally in two rows. Unlike the other gongs ofthe gadlan the onan played melodicaly and is usually one of the leading ist ‘ments inthe ensemble A smaller foray panes tuned an octave higher te usally played twice a fast i cote relationship tothe melody of the ‘main bonang. In some areata slow abstraction of the melody is played Coa large bong perebung tuned an octave lower ‘Most gan have several rough-resonated metallophones in three sizes: rn domang ron baring, and sarn pling Each san octave higher than the previous one and usually has seven keys' The soon az al struck with wooden mallets producing 2 clear, ringing tne tha fades ‘uickly In most pieces musicians play the balagon melody on the two larger sarap and a simple elaboration of this melody on the small eon peony. Other elaborations may ako be played on the larger sar in cer “The other metallophones in a gandandlfer from the sro because they have thinner keys suspended over individual resonators and these leys ate struck with padded mallets producing a softer, more sustained Sound. The stom has seven keys andi usualy assigned the bligon les soft but ich tones, one octave lower tha the largest arom, provide 3 foundation forthe other melodic instruments. The malkioctave ger Burag has twelve to fourteen keys that are smaller than those of the slo. I sin many ways the heart of the gemdan sce Sumarsa 1975) Using two padded males, the gn player produces a smooth, oly- phonic elaboration ofthe main melodic flow ofthe piece that blends subtly with the other instruments and provides continuous underpin. ‘ing forthe more percussive Sounds ofthe sro and bong. The smaller gen pars, tuned an octave highe,s similar in construction, fis also played with wo mallets, bu most of the time the players two hands 1 Sones rg eines tes myo ys 23 4se7 or 2a ser iit mite Wns 23S 6 12a Fig Common coneipandences between ak ond unas interlock to crete a single melody that ripples along at maximum density ‘Additional elaborating instruments are made of materials other than bronze. Thee of these ate played atthe same speed asthe gen ase the gambong, a xylophone, splayed in parallel octaves the itr and cw ang are zthers plucked with the thumbnails. Freeform melodies that range father away from the man melody than any ater art are played fom the sling, an endcblown duct fate (see Brinner 1998) The leading ‘melodic parts played onthe eu a bowed spike fiddle, and s closely related 10 the vocal parts sung by female soloists and male chorus. Male solos and pans for female or mixed chorus aso occur in some pices ‘The kndlvn, double-headed bare drums of several sizes, are played by ‘one of twa drummers to control temporal aspects ofa performance, “Tis brie ist covers the main instruments ofthe Sypea fil gamle -Afew other instruments are added for particular pieces, and some pieces are played ona subset ofthe fll mdon Some ensembles such a5 gale ‘allow and gancon colton ince jst afew of thee instruments. The (Cental Javanese cours also have several types of ceremonial ganelar ‘that lifer significantly in instrumentation and repertoire, ‘The two tuning systems (lars) of Javanese music, sudo and pg have five and seven pitches to the octave, respectively. A fll gael is actualy wo separate sets of instruments with only rhb, endo, and ‘he bigest gongs in common. The slndro and ply sets are normally played in aeration rather than simultaneously. They usually have one or two pitches in common, figure 1 shows rwo possible correspon

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