Mysticism and Divinity in Gamelan
Introduction
“Gamelan music mirrors and manifests a central system of thought, experience, and belief in Javanese culture: mysticism.”
-Susan Pratt Walton
Gamelan is an Indonesian and Eastern Asian style of music that is radically different from our western styles of music. Many western music theorists have attempted to document gamelan music theory and contextualize it in a way that makes more sense to our western ears, but the results have not really gotten to the heart of gamelan music. This is because mysticism is at the heart of gamelan music. Similar to medieval church music like gregorian chant, the idea that music is a vessel for the spirit is very prominent in gamelan music. Gamelan songs exist not necessarily because they sound nice, or the melody is pleasing, but so that the performers and listeners might please the spirits of their culture. Gamelan also exists to please the ancestors and put honor upon dignified individuals. A gamelan might perform at a birthday celebration, and palace gamelans put on concerts every 35 days to honor the ruler’s birth, or whenever a royal occasion requires it. Gamelan is less about the music and sounds itself and more about the purpose of pleasing spirits and ancestors, a mysticist ideal. The instruments of the gamelan each serve a purpose to give the ensemble structure and to create ethereal tones. And it all stems from the gong.
Gong Divinity
The Gamelan is a divine and wonderful instrument that has deep connection to mystical and spiritual beliefs. Some believe “that one is able to discover one’s higher Self through works of art,” and the biggest player in the divine play is the Ageng and the Kempul (MYSTICISM). These instruments are part of a set of gongs that hold their own special purpose and belief rules. The Ageng gong is one of the most important instruments for its spiritual belief. The Ageng is played similarly to a western gong but it holds more significance for it ends, starts and signals in gamelan music. The Ageng is believed to be heard even up to the ancestors and aims to please them with their song. Without the Ageng gong the spirit of the gamelan music would be completely lost and without rhythm. Next is the Kempul which is part of the set of gongs in the gamelan set. The Kempul is played similar to the Ageng but the set is played more than their counterpart. Striking the Kempul gongs adds a ringing and vibration to the overall music of the gamelan set. With these two sets of gongs gamelan music takes on a new set of beliefs and spirits. The Ageng is the first to be played in festivals and celebrations. It is believed that within each instrument, especially in the Ageng and Kempul, that spirits are within them and that even after playing the spirits still stay with the instruments. Along with the spiritual connections the Ageng is used in many ceremonial events and almost like western ribbon cutting, the ageng is rung. In conclusion the Ageng and the Kempul are very important aspects to the spiritual and beliefs.
Gamelan Drums
Gamelan drumming is a key part to the culture of Indonesia. Each drum has a specific function.
The Kendhang Gendhing - The body is made from hollow jackfruit wood, and the heads are made from buffalo skin. They’re held in place by long rawhide lance. Loops around the body, zigzags around it around ten times.
The performer (pengendhang) sits on the ground facing the drum, and produces sound by hitting both of the heads. In both audio examples, the patterns on the drum are closely related to the phrase structure.
The technique is not difficult to master, but the performer of this drum and the following drums can be known as specialists because mainly knowledgeable musicians practice and perform it.
The Kendhang Ciblon - This is manufactured the same way as the kendhang gendhing, but is only wrapped 8 times in the zigzag motion. The word ‘ciblon means to “playfully slap the surface of water with one’s open or cupped palms to produce a variety of timbers and rhythms.” This pastime is known as the inspiration for the kendhang ciblon.
Like the kendhang gendhing, primary and secondary strokes make up the majority of the vocabulary of the rhythmic ideas.
The ciblon pengendhang not only ornaments the dancers’ movements, but also controls the tempo of the accompanying movement, and leads the changes in tempo, along with the other two drums. A ciblon player can also be classified as a specialist.
The Kendhang Ketipung - Just like the other two drums, this drum is built with only 7 wraps of the rawhide lance. Like the kendhang gendhing, only a few primary and secondary strokes make up the vocabulary of rhythmic sounds. In the audio examples below, the patterns reflect the phrase structure of the piece. This instrument is also performed in conjunction with the kendhang gendhing, as you can see in the picture below. Each musician plays the drums individually, but another plays the two as a unified pair.
Singing Saron & Kingly Kenong
The Saron and the Kenong are Javanese Gamelan instruments otherwise known as Indonesia. Both instruments are members of the idiophone classification because they create sound through their vibrations, but the Saron is a Metallophone while the Kenong is a gong.
Saron
The Saron is played by a seated performer and consists of seven thick bronze keys tuned to either the pelog or slendro scales. The scale is decided by the group, and often there is a mixture of pelog and slendro tuned Sarons in one ensemble. The wooden box they are supported on resonates the sound once stricken by the sharp attack of a hard mallet. The preceding key is usually silenced with the performer's hand as the next is hit.
Kenong
The Kenong is a higher pitched set of gongs that is placed horizontally and suspended with strings in a wooden box. There are usually six placed in a curve or half circle around the performer, but there can be more. It’s presence in a song can range from as often as every few seconds, to minutes in between strikes. That is because this gong appears within a cycle at the end of equal part phrases. Unlike other gongs, the Kenong produces a bell-like timbre even though it is quite large. It’s pitch usually matches the melody note being played.
Saron upfront, Kenong to the left
Suling and Rebab
The Suling is a thin, bamboo flute that is played similar to an American Recorder. There are two methods of playing, slur and puruluk. Slur is when multiple different notes are played one after the other without stopping the airflow. Puruluk is when the holes in the flute are open and then covered quickly by the fingers of the musician in a rapid fashion. The Suling has a spiritual significance when it comes to Gamelan. Some sulings have a serpentine spirit painted or carved on them to represent the Hindu spirit Naga. Naga is a spirit that symbolizes fertility and rain, but also floods and droughts.
The Rebab is a bowed spike-lute chordophone used in the Javanese Gamelan. This instrument was one of the only instruments a woman was allowed to play back in primitive times, and the wealthier her husband was, the nicer the set of “male and female” strings. The way the instrument is played is by sitting cross-legged on the floor and bowing across the strings. It is not a fixed-pitch instrument, and is designed to sound similar to the style of Javanese singing. It has been speculated that the Rebab isn’t originally Javanese, but from Arabic or Persian origins. The Rebab is important to add to the atmosphere of the Gamelan sound, even if it is hard to hear above the metal instruments. It is a cultural icon among the people, and having a gamelan performance without the Rebab feels wrong to people. The Rebab is a representation of the spirit Saraswati, who is the Hindu deity of knowledge and the arts. She is often pictured holding a Rebab to symbolize the importance of music in not only the Javanese culture but the Balinese culture as well.
Rebab and Suling Video:
Division of Labor
Introduction/blog/works-cited - Aidan Hille
Gong Divinity - Ryan Lelli
Gamelan Drums - Carl Reese
Singing Saron and Kingly Kenong - Jake Kesling
Suling and Rebab - Hannah McVay
Works Cited
Brinner, Benjamin. Music in Central Java : Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. Book. New York ; Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2008.
Lentong, Nyoman. “Flute, ‘Suling Naga I.’” NOVICA, www.novica.com/p/flute-suling-naga-i/54380/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2021.
Marget, Mikaela. Bali’ S “Forgotten Stepchild”: The Cultural and Sonic Vitality of the Balinese Rebab the Cultural and Sonic Vitality of the Balinese Rebab. 2018.
Rivercampuswm1. “MYSTICISM and SPIRITUALITY in JAVANESE GAMELAN MUSIC.” RIVERCAMPUSWM1, 16 Nov. 2011, rivercampuswm1.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/mysticism-and-spirituality-in-javanese-gamelan-music/.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Naga | Hindu Mythology.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/naga-Hindu-mythology.
Vetter, Roger. “Kendhang Ciblon · Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection · Grinnell College Libraries.” Omeka-S.grinnell.edu, omeka-s.grinnell.edu/s/MusicalInstruments/item/955.
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---. “Rebab · Grinnell College Musical Instrument Collection · Grinnell College Libraries.” Omeka-S.grinnell.edu, omeka-s.grinnell.edu/s/MusicalInstruments/item/626.
Wilson, Susan. “Global Theories of the Arts and Aesthetics.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 63, no. 4, Sept. 2005, pp. ii–ii, 10.1111/j.0021-8529.2005.00213.x.
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