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Gamelan music is one of the great musical traditions of the world, beginning nearly 1,000 years ago. The tradition is strongest in Bali and Java–its name is from the Javanese word for hammer, gamel.
- When was the gamelan created?
- What is the origin of gamelan?
- What is gamelan made of?
- Which country is the birthplace of gamelan?
- What was Indonesia once called?
- How is gamelan performed?
- What is Gamelan religion?
- What is Balinese Gamelan?
- What does Gamelan mean in Indonesian?
- Why do Gamelan players never step over their instruments?
- What are Balinese Gamelan made of?
- How many musicians play the gamelan orchestra?
- What is the tempo of gamelan?
- How does gamelan produce sound?
When was the gamelan created?
In Javanese mythology, the gamelan was created by Sang Hyang Guru in Saka era 167 (c. AD 230), the god who ruled as king of all Java from a palace on the Maendra mountain in Medang Kamulan (now Mount Lawu). He needed a signal to summon the gods and thus invented the gong.
What is the origin of gamelan?
Gamelan is a genre of ensemble instrumental music that has its origins in the Indonesian regions of Bali and Java. Instruments such as drums, gongs, metallophones, flutes, and spike fiddles, as well as singing feature in gamelan music.
What is gamelan made of?
A gamelan ensemble consists of a variety of metal percussion instruments, usually made of bronze or brass, including xylophones, drums, and gongs. It may also feature bamboo flutes, wooden stringed instruments, and vocalists, but the focus is on the percussion.
Which country is the birthplace of gamelan?
Gamelan, although Indonesia is its origin place, is found outside of that country. There are forms of gamelan that have developed outside Indonesia, such as American gamelan and Malay Gamelan in Malaysia.
What was Indonesia once called?
Indonesia was formerly known as the Dutch East Indies (or Netherlands East Indies).
How is gamelan performed?
A sustained melody is played either by the bamboo flute (suling) or by a bowed stringed instrument (rebab) or is sung—the last especially when, as often occurs, the gamelan is used to accompany theatrical performances, or wayang. ... The voice is then part of the orchestral texture.
What is Gamelan religion?
Today, nearly ninety percent of Java's population is Muslim. The traditional arts of gamelan music, dance and theatre, however, have their roots in Java's Hindu-Buddhist past. The Islam of the Middle East had mixed with Indian Hinduism before reaching Java In the fifteenth century.
What is Balinese Gamelan?
The Balinese gamelan is a staple of Balinese culture. Composed of a combination of metallophones, xylophones, drums, gongs, and sometimes flutes, the Balinese can compose and play magnificent tunes to suit the need of the occasion. ... Gamelan is often reserved for use in ceremonies.
What does Gamelan mean in Indonesian?
: an Indonesian orchestra made up especially of percussion instruments (such as gongs, xylophones, and drums)
Why do Gamelan players never step over their instruments?
The two main islands associated with Gamelan music are Java and Bali. ... The Gamelan is thought to be magical and spiritual – players treat their instruments with total respect and would never step over them as they believe they are tied to heaven and stepping over the instruments could break these ties.
What are Balinese Gamelan made of?
Gamelan instruments are also made from bamboo. A jegog gamelan features gigantic bamboo instruments with tubes taken from plantations only found in West Bali. Some types of gamelan are a mix of bamboo and bronze, such as the ancient cremation gamelan called gong saron and gambang.
How many musicians play the gamelan orchestra?
The tradition is strongest in Bali and Java–its name is from the Javanese word for hammer, gamel. It is played quite differently from Western music, with a 50-piece orchestra of mostly percussion instruments that are built and tuned as one unit.
What is the tempo of gamelan?
Irama is the term used for tempo in Indonesian gamelan in Java and Bali. It can be used with elaborating instruments. It is a concept used in Javanese gamelan music, describing melodic tempo and relationships in density between the balungan, elaborating instruments, and gong structure.
How does gamelan produce sound?
Gamelan music originated in the islands of Indonesia, and today is performed worldwide. It is characterized by the use of metal mallet instruments, keyboard style instruments struck with mallets or hammers, tuned differently than any Western instruments and deliberately tuned to produce an ombak, or shimmering sound.
