It isimnortanttokeepinmindthe value placed on completeness whenstudyIngBalinesemusic becauseithelpsdefineafundamental aspectofBalineseaesthetics. Not onlyisitimportantfor sonicandother spacestobe filled,butreferencestothepast mustalsobemade

Performancesfit intoacontinuumofcontextsranging fromhighly sacred performances forgodsto lesssacredperformances for godsandhumans.Thereisageneral correlationbetween the age ofaparticular story, dance, theatrical form, ensemble,orpieceanditsdegree of sacredness.Theolderthe form, themore sacredand unchangingitis.

The term adat, meaning “tradition,” encompasses religion (forwhich there is nowadistinct Indonesian term,agama),divine cosmicand social order, and all community activities

Old (genres of indigenous pre-HinduBali,knownasBali Ago);Middle (showing Hindu-Javanese influence) and New (twentieth-century genres that developedout of those of the Middle category)

Thesestories, which tell of the Hindu pantheonof gods, goddesses, demons,and humans from mythological times, still play a major role in theatertraditions in Bali.

The Indian epicsMahabharata and Ramayana have, become cultural icons throughoutSoutheast Asia.

The many narratives performedin Balinesetheater representperiods in history.

Stories areinterwoven into daily ritualsand people’ssense oftherown past.

Anewborn child is still linkedto the world of the gods until the first ofalifelong series of ceremoniesthat both link the child with the world of the living and purify her orhim in a hierarchical sequence that extends long after death, uponbecoming a deified ancestor.

With reincarnation as the basic premise, the purification rites Balineseundergo throughout their lives areeenas belongingto one hugecycle of rebirth,life,death, and rebirth.

The coincidenceofdays from different calendars resultsinagood or undesirable daytodo something,

largercyclesofasmanyasonehundredyears

CyclesofTime.Cydicity

A temple’sodalan,celebrated every210days(one BalineseyearintheHindu-Balicycle).marks theanniversaryof thedayitwas firstinaugurated.This often coincides with theMlmoon, but because eachtemple hasitsown anniversary, the ceremonies are scatteredthroughout the year.

TodaysAgamaHinduBali(BalineseHidureligion) or A;amaTirtha(holywaterreligion)is asynthesis ofpm-Hindubeliefandprac&eswith elementsofIndianHinduismand Buddhism,

Over centuries these religious practices have undergone changes, absorbing

Religiousceremonies are organizedintofivecategoriesknownas thepancayadnya

The nameBalimeans “offering,” aptly expressingamajor componentof Balinese life:making, giving, and performing offerings to the gods.

Toknow yourself inBali istoknow where you stand in relation to place, time,drcumstance, and therestofthe community.

One aspectoflifethat helps maintainBalinesecultural identityisencapsulated in the Balineseconcept4gflr.This expression(roughly “appropriateplace, time,cfrcumstancè7iiieans thatforeveryactivity thereis aproper time andplace.

Besidesitsindependentfunction(i.e.kienénoan,agamelanperformancetobeheldforitsownsake)

Kec èr,aninstrumentconsistingoftwopairsofsmall cymbals

It is hung loosely onthe wayang box and kicked by dhalang’s toes or small cempala(a kind of mallet) held between his toes

keovak, that is three bronzeplates hung loosely on the keprak

K e p r a k , a wooden-box or slit wooden—box

K e m a n a k , a pair of banana—shaped instruments

1<ethuk-kemcvang,twosmallhorizontalgong-kettlesplaced,opensidedown,onarack

KemDu1,smallsizedhanging gongs

Itdivides thegonganintotwoorfourkenongphrases or kenongan.

Ke npng, asetoflargehorizontalgongkettlesplaced,opensidedown, onarack

thespace betweentwogongstrokes,iscalledaongan.

Itmarksthebeginningandendofthepieceandgivesafeelingofbalanceafterthelongestmelodicsectionofagendhing.Thegongissoimportant inmarkingthefundamentalunitofagendhingstructure thatthisunit,

G o n g ,largeandmediumgongs hung on astand. Thelargesthanginggong(usuallyblack)iscalledonaaaeng (‘ageng” —large) ,andhasthe lowestpitch amongthegamel

Gamelancompositions arecomposedin groups of equalmetricalunits. Theshortest unit consistsof four basicbeatsandis called aatra(“embryo”or “semanticunit”) . Agamelancompositionisalsocomposedinoneofseveralstructures.

Thenumberofgatrapergongan(seebelow) andthestrokeofkenong, kemoul, andkethuk,specifyeachofthesegendhingstructures.

bedhug.It isalargesymmetricalbarreldrumwithtwonailedheadsofthesamediameter

Thereare four kinds ofkendhang

Theconcept involving thearticulationof time in theplaying of gendhingis calledirama or wirama.

Kend hang,atwoheadedasymmetricaldrumonleatherhoops andlacedina“Y”pattern

owardtheendofthemelodicphrases, thebonangmightplayasekaran (“ornamentation”)

imbal—inthalan(“interlocking”

Thegembyangantechniqueisusedforpantungan(sustained singletone)melodyin themediumor high range

Bonang,tworowsofhorizontal gong-kettles,placedopensidedown, oncordsstretchedoverarectangularwooden-frame;

Sienthem,Demun,SaronBarung,andSqronPaneruscommonlycalledbythegeneticnameofsaron.

amelodiclinewhichisconsideredasthemelodicskeleton or balunaan of

Su1 1ng, end-blownflutemadeofbamboo

Ce1emuung,aplucked—zithersetonfourlegs

C a m b a n g , a wooden—xylophone with seventeen to twenty onekeys with a range of two octaves or\qGrc-_—-v_yo/ more.

n some sections of gendhing, penggerong will singsenaaakan or alok, employing a word or words such assooooooo, hake, dua lob, etc. These short melodies or“stylized cries” are meant to excite the mood of the piece

Kinanthiisone of themacapat songs.Thetextusedbypenggerongmaytellus about moralideas, decribe nature,astory or puzzle,express the emotion of love, or other subjects

thoughsomegendhinghavetheirowntexts,themostcommontextsusedbypenggérongare in thesalisirorkinanthiforms

ena aêrongoraero ng,asmallmalechorus —twoorthreemalesingers.

Theselinesusuallycontainmoralideas,the expressionof theemotionoflove,reverence to thenobility,satire,orothersubjects

For sindhenan baku, pesindhen sings a poetic riddle,called wanpsalan.

e s I n d h è n or s i n d h è n , a female“soloist” singer.

rimingan (gender parts to fit the mood of the scenewhile the dhalang narrates or gives dialog

Therearetwokindofgender: gender barungandgenderoanerus.Theaendérbarungcan have asfewastwelveorasmanyasfourteenkeys,encompassingmorethantwooctaves

irama (see page 24—25), performance technique,and musical structure

the order of compositionsCcendhing)

achcompositioniscomposedinoneof thethree pathetormodalcategories. Pathet,whichliterallymeans“torestrain”, isasystem ofcategorizing theuse oftones.

(laras) five—tone sléndro and seven—tone pélog.

theJavaneseconsideragamelansetasousaka,aninheritedobjectwhichisendowedwithsupernaturalpower.Anhonorifictitle,Kyaior“TheVenerableSir”,andnameisassignedtothegamelan

Gamelaninstruments a

Therearetwoprincipal styles:BalineseandJavanese gamelan.Butin Java,likein Bali, several regional stylescan be -identified.Twoof themostnotedstylesareSundanese (orWestJavanese)andCentralJavanese gamelan

the term karawitanwasintroduced, embracing both vocal andinstrumental elementsin the gamelan

Eachof hundreds ofethnicgroupsandsubgroupshasitsownlocalcharacteristic,in language, customs,formsoforganization,ritual,dances,music andotherculturalexpressions

Thisisbecausefullexperience ingamelanisfulfilledwhenoneis able tofeel therelationshipbetweenhisorher partwith theother

However,itshouldbenotedthatalthough notationhasbecomeapartofgamelantraditionforaboutacentury,basicallygamelanisstilltheproduct oforal tradition.Listening, imitatingandobservingare the thrust oftraditionalgamelanlearning.