Gamelan: A Study of Javanese and Balinese traditional music

Just like how humans have fingerprints that are unique to ourselves and give us our very own identity, countries have several defining features that make them what they are. This can range from anywhere from the language, the clothing, the food to even the types of people that they have. The kind of music that is found is also a key characteristic feature. Especially in a context of local traditional music, that is seen as something that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. In Asia itself, many countries have their local music defining their ancient culture and heritage. India has Carnatic and Hindustani music, Malaysia has Mak Yong, and Thailand has piphat and khrueang sai. Indonesia too has several different types of music, but one in particular has crossed borders and affected Malaysia’s own music scene as well: gamelan. In his study published in the All Music Guide (now known simply as AllMusic) in July 2002, writer Bruno Deschênes writes about the similarities as well as differences between Javanese and Balinese gamelan. He talks about the different tuning systems, uses of gamelan between the two different regions of Indonesia, as well as the various factors that make up the difference in sound between the two. According to his writings, one can find that the major difference is due to the history behind the application of the different types of gamelan. There was no major debate outlined or highlighted in his writing, although one may argue that there were other factors that further diversifies Javanese and Balinese gamelan music. Personally, I agree with what he has to say, based on studies and research knowledge gathered from various other authors and academicians as well. What is amazing about Indonesia’s gamelan music is the fact that there isn’t just one type, but several. Amongst the most recognisable and popular forms would be the Javanese and Balinese gamelan. Although having similar instrumentations and tuning systems, religious and sociocultural factors have determined the present musical differences of Javanese and Balinese gamelan. Between these two, it is the Balinese gamelan that has become more popular than its Javanese counterpart. Gamelan, in its general meaning, is a form of musical ensemble rather than a type of music genre. Hailing from Indonesia, gamelan features a myriad of instruments ranging from xylophones, gongs and bamboo flutes to less traditional ones such as metallophones, xylophones, Indonesian gendang or drums and sometimes even the violin (Lentz, 1965). What makes a gamelan ensemble unique to other types of music is that they are built and tuned to each other, meaning that different types of gamelan instruments are not interchangeable from one ensemble to another. There are several things that makes Javanese and Balinese gamelan different. In Javanese Gamelan, the ensemble can be characterised into different categories: time-keeping instruments, melodic instruments, elaborating instruments and singers. Time-keeping instruments are usually gongs of

different timbre and sizes. The melodic instruments would consist of a suling which is a type of traditional flute, as well as a rebab or a traditional fiddle which will play the melody or balungan as it is known. Elaborating instruments consist of metallophone instruments such as the xylophone, gender and saron. These metallophones are usually made from either bronze, brass or iron, with brass being the most common and preferred material. The singers in turn are incorporated to add a musical texture or as a soloist, particularly during quieter moments of a given piece. However, different ensembles will have different types of instrumentation, depending on their purpose and usage. For instance, court gamelan ensembles will be different from social gamelan ensembles like in a wedding or birthday. In Javanese gamelan, a given ensemble will use two different tuning systems: slendro and pelog. Slendro consists of five pitches in one octave, similar to the Western pentatonic scale, whereas the pelog tuning system has 7 pitches (Deschênes, 2002). Unlike Western music, slendro divides the octave in five equal intervals, and pelog into seven unequal intervals. The tuning system is not fixed in a pitch such as the Western C or G major scale, and varies from different ensembles all over the world. To a Western music student, this may sound out-of-tune and odd due to the unconventional theory system applied into the music. Furthermore, the slendro and pelog tuning systems will not be played in the same performance. These tuning systems also include within them different musical modes such as the Western lydian, mixolydian and phrygian modes, called pathet. These different modes are usually played in connection with the different settings a gamelan ensemble is playing in, whether it be according to a theatrical setting, a particular mood or even different times of the day. A major difference between Javanese gamelan when compared to Balinese gamelan is that the musicians are encouraged to “improvise” when playing a particular piece (Deschênes, 2002). Unlike the Western musical sense of improvisation when a musician plays a solo passage on an instrument while being accompanied by other players, Javanese gamelan musicians are asked to improvise in the sense of developing, embellishing and adding colour to the piece while in performance . However, musicians are not allowed to breach traditional rules and settings; “they do not express personal feelings, but rather perform their personal interpretations of the tradition” (Susilo, 2001). That being said, Javanese gamelan musicians do not actually learn a particular piece or score, but rather a song or composition structure added with a traditional twist in treating it. It is this due to this reason that gamelan musicians who have never played with each other, can often go into a performance setting with little to no practise at all.

On the island of Bali though, gamelan is treated and approached in a much different way. While in Java, gamelan is usually owned by musicians, courts and the wealthy, in Bali gamelan has a more personal sort of attachment to it. In each village, a society is divided by wards, and these wards own at least one set of gamelan to their own. Therefore it becomes the responsibility of the people themselves to care for their instruments, and not a body entrusted by an authority. Because of this, there may be more than one gamelan orchestra that can be found in one village or town. With such a broad and expansive coverage of gamelan players and orchestras found all over the island, it is not surprising that the style of music differs from one village, town or even region (Lentz, 1965). One of the major differences between Balinese gamelan and Javanese gamelan is that in Bali, a gamelan orchestra would play music that is strictly composed. This means that unlike Javanese gamelan where the musicians would be encouraged to improvise, Balinese gamelan players usually do not have much space for it in their pieces. Musical pieces are usually written and practised as is written to gain a “unified musical expression” (Tenzer, 1991). This Western approach with written notated music serves as a platform of opportunity for composers to experiment and diversify the complexity of a gamelan orchestra. Balinese musicians “rehearse to perfect their music more than any other large ensembles in the world” (Tenzer, 1991). Javanese gamelan, with their slight disregard to written music, gets its unique sound and complexity from the various improvisations from the different musicians that make up an ensemble. Throughout the 20th century, Balinese music went through several developments and changes. In 1908, the Balinese court lost a considerable amount of power due to the arrival of the Dutch. By 1930, the court had all but ceased to exist and their gamelan instruments were sent to storage. Without being given the ability to maintain its role as the patron within the arts community, court gamelan instruments were in the end sold or given to musicians from various villages (Tenzer, 1991). This led to a major change in the way gamelan would be seen in the future. These court instruments could now be played once again, leading the art of gamelan to be nurtured and developed by the people themselves. Other not so fortunate instruments though, were melted down and recast into instruments that are not only new, but more suited and to the tastes of the village musicians. By being expanded beyond the confines of the courts, Balinese gamelan music slowly transformed into something more dramatic and flamboyant, thus becoming faster and louder with more changes in dynamics and tempo. In the northern part of Bali, the music is said to be more aggressive compared to the more refined, polished music of the south.

Another major difference or factor that makes these two types of gamelan different from one another is the cultural basis behind them. Historically, Balinese gamelan has solid religious connections, finding itself to play an important role in several Hindu ceremonies as well as more secular or non-religious festivals and celebrations. After the collapse of the Javanese Majapahit dynasty in the 14th century, Hindus left Java and relocated to Bali, towing along with them their music as well as gamelan musical instruments (Tenzer, 1991). Despite the closeness in distance with Java, Bali was able to maintain and preserve their Hindu culture and religion. As in the likes of Indian Carnatic music, Balinese gamelan music, due to its Indian influences, have composers actually writing out pieces in the way that Bach and Beethoven wrote classical operas and concertos. It is this experimentation with written music that has given Balinese gamelan several new styles of music and ensembles, with the addition of extra instruments not traditionally found in a typical gamelan setup. Not only that, Balinese music is usually found hand-in-hand with dance. These dances that accompany Balinese gamelan music such as the rejang are now found mostly in performance or cultural occasions, but had their roots from highly religious Balinese musicians who not only helped broaden the reach of the music, but set up thousands of temples all around the islands to help spread their influence. At the end of the day, it is not a question of how the Javanese gamelan and Balinese gamelan differ, but what it is that gives them their uniqueness. Music throughout the entire world originated from someone’s ideas, feelings or even experiences. With gamelan, it is a native form of art that predates the early Hindu-Buddhist power that ruled over Indonesia. This longevity has proven itself, with gamelan still existing strongly not only in Indonesia, but also 25 other countries that have incorporated it into their culture, including Malaysia. Though each has its own defining characteristics, Javanese and Balinese gamelan music is only as different as when comparing Western classical and baroque-era style music. It is without a doubt that these two regions have taken something so simple and turned it into an art form that has captured the attention and hearts of thousands of people over so many years. If its history is anything to compare it too, it can safely be said that these two types of gamelan music would survive for several more generations to come.

References

Deschênes, B. (2002). Javanese and Balinese Gamelan Music. All Music Guide. Kunst, J. (1973). Music in Java. 1st ed. The Hague: Nijhoff. Lentz, D. (1965). The Gamelan Music of Java and Bali: An Artistic Anomaly Complementary to Primary Tonal Theoretical Systems. University of Nebraska Press, p.5. Pickvance, R. (2005). A gamelan manual. 1st ed. London: Jaman Mas Books. Tenzer, M. (1991). Balinese music. Periplus Editions Berkeley and Singapore.