Definition and Philosophy of Java Gamelans

credit:[email protected]

Javanese gamelan is a musical strain produced from a combination of several Javanese musical instruments, such as Gong, Kenong, Gambang, Gender, Celempung and other Javanese musical instruments.

Brings to an atmosphere of peace of mind a reflection of the harmony of life about the principles of life that are embraced by the Javanese people in general. 

Gamelan comes from the word gamel which means to do, the first gamelan was made in 167, and is made of bamboo and the gamelan is the orchestra of the Javanese. 

The gamelan contains a lot of philosophy, for example: It reads: nang ning nung neng nong. Nang (win), ning (wening, think) nung (ndhunung, pray), neng (meneng, silent), nong (God). His names are: G (gusti), A (alloh), M (maringi), E (emut-remember), L (lakonono), A (teaching), N (prophet).

As said above, the soft rhythm produced by the Javanese Gamelan cannot be separated from the view of the Javanese people who tend to maintain harmony in life, both physically and spiritually, this situation makes Javanese people always avoid temperamental expressions and strive to create tolerance among others, the most.

What we can actually find in gamelan music is the moderate pulling of the fiddle string, the balance guide for the sounds of kenong, saron, drums and xylophone and the sound of the gong at each closing rhythm. 

Gamelan music compositions are created with several rules, which consist of several rounds and pethet. limited by one gong and its melody. created in units of 4 tones. The main components of gamelan instruments are: bamboo, metal, and wood. Each instrument has its own function in gamelan music performances.

Knowing the Java Gamelan Device 

1. BONANG

credit:instagram@_playplayphotostudio_

In the form of a set of ten to fourteen small, horizontal gongs arranged in two rows, placed on a rope stretched on a wooden frame. The player sits in the middle on the side of a row of low-octave gongs, holding an elliptical percussion in each hand. 

There are three kinds of bonang, differentiated according to size, octave region, and function in the ensemble.

Bonang Barung

Medium in size, has a middle to high octave, is one of the leading instruments in the ensemble, the resulting tone pattern serves as an anticipation of further tones, guiding other instruments, except for wasps for rewards, this type of bonang tends to acts to form patterns of intertwining songs with bonang panerus.

Bonang Successor

The smallest size and high octave. in the shelled wasp technique, bonang panerus has twice the speed of bonang barung. bonang panerus does not function as a guide song, because of the speed and height of the pitch. 

Although in charge of anticipating the tones of the balungan, as for the technique of wasps in return, in collaboration with bonang barung, bonang panerus plays patterns of intertwining songs.

2. CELEMPUNG 

credit:instagram@angbarasat

Is a plucked wire instrument, framed on a kind of gerobogan (also functions as a resonator), has two pairs of legs, the front legs are higher than the hind legs, has thirteen pairs of wires that are tensioned between the nails to adjust (above) and small nails (below). 

There is a metal chip on the top of the gerobogan that functions as a wire separating bridge, this musical instrument is in charge of stringing song patterns.

3. GAMBANG

Made of wooden slats framed on a gerobogan which also functions as a resonator. seventeen to twenty blades, the xylophone region covers two octaves or more. played with a round percussion with a long stem usually from horns/sungu. 

Functions to play gembyangan (octave) in the style of song patterns with steady beats can also play several kinds of song ornamentation and rhythms, such as a two-tone game separated by two blades, or a two-tone game separated by six blades, and a song pattern with syncopated rhythms .

4. GENDER 

Metal blades that are tensioned with a rope over the resonator roof. played with a round percussion (circled by a layer of cloth) with a short stem. There are two types of gender, Gender Barung and Gender Successor.

Gender Barung

Large, low to middle octave. One of the leading instruments, plays in a steady beat (cengkok) song pattern that can create a thick sonority texture and strengthen the sense of pathet gendhing.

Gender Successor

Small, middle to high octave. Although the noodle instrument is not necessarily in the ensemble, its presence adds to the richness of the gamelan's texture. This gender plays the song in a steady and fast beat pattern.

5. KEMPUL

A small gong that is hung. Kempul marks important accents in the sentence of the gendhing song. in conjunction with the gendhing song, the kempul can play the same note as the balungan tone; sometimes kempul precedes the next balungan tone; sometimes he plays a note that forms a kempyung interval with a balungan tone, to emphasize a sense of pathet.

6. KENDHANG 

An asymmetrical two-sided instrument with the leather side tensioned with ropes and the leather or rattan arranged in a 'Y' shape. functions to determine rhythm and tempo (maintaining a steady tempo, guiding the transition to a fast or slow tempo, and stopping the gendhing beat (suwuk)). 

In addition, for gamelan dances and puppet shows, drums also accompany the movements of dancers or puppets. Based on the size and function, there are four kinds of drums, namely ageng drums, wayangan drums, ciblon drums, and ketipung drums.

7. KENONG 

Is a set of gong-type instruments in a horizontal position, superimposed on a rope that is tensioned on a wooden frame. In defining the structure of a gendhing, the kenong is the second most important instrument after the gong. 

Kenong divides the gongan into two or four sentences of kenong, or kenongan sentences. Besides that, the kenong tone also has a relationship with the Gendhing song, which can be the same as the balungan tone or precede it or it can play a kempyung tone with a balungan tone, to support the pathet sense.

8. GONG

The word gong specifically refers to a hanging gong that is vertically positioned, large or medium in size, beaten in the middle of the circle (pencu) with a round percussion lined with cloth. serves as a sign of the beginning and end of the gendhing.

In this term Gong can be classified into two namely:

Gong Ageng

Gong hanging with a large size, beaten to mark the beginning and end of the basic group of songs (gongan) gendhing.

Gong Suwukan

Medium-sized hanging gong, played to mark the ending of short-structured gendhing, such as fluent, srepegan, and sampak.

9. KETHUK KEMPYANG

Two instruments belonging to the type of gong in a horizontal position superimposed on a rope that is stretched on a wooden frame. 

Kethuk - kempyang gives accents to the flow of the gendhing song into short sentences. in the smooth, sampak, srepegan, and sieve fast beat styles, the kethuk is beaten between balungan beats, producing fast intertwining patterns.

10. REBAB 

A stringed musical instrument with two wires tensioned on a wooden sash with a heart-shaped body covered with a membrane (thin skin) from a cow chronicle. 

This instrument is one part of the leading instrument which is recognized as the leader of the song in the ensemble, especially in the soft beat style. play the opening song of the gendhing, determine the gendhing, barrel, and pathet to be played. the groove of the rebab song gives clear instructions on the path of the gendhing song plot.

11. SARON

Shaped blade with six or seven blades (one octave or one octave and one note) superimposed on a wooden frame that also functions as a resonator. It is beaten with a percussion made of wood or horn (the latter is for Pekingese). Saron itself is divided into 3 types according to the size and function of each:

Saron Demung

Large instrument and middle octave. playing balungan gendhing in its limited territory. One gamelan set has one or two demungs. But there is a gamelan in the palace that has more than two demung.

Saron Barung

Medium in size and high octave, also plays the balungan in a limited area. A gamelan device may have a nine-bladed saron puppet. This saron is played especially for the ensemble accompanying the puppet show.

Saron Peking (Successor)

The smallest size and the highest octave. play double or quadruple wasps of balungan songs. Pekingese also tried to decipher the balungan song in the context of the gendhing song.

12. SLENTHEM

Belongs to the gender family when we look at its construction, it is often called the panembung gender. But the slenthem has as many blades as the saron blade, the lowest octave in the saron instrument group. play a balungan song within its limited territory.

13. FLUTE

Made of bamboo and belongs to the category of wind instruments. play instruments in metric free-style song patterns. played alternately, usually when the song is nearing the end of the sentence. But sometimes the flute player also plays a short song at the beginning or in the middle of a song's sentence.

Such is the understanding of Javanese Gamelan, Philosophy and Musical Instruments that build it, even though it is classified as Javanese Traditional Music, Javanese Gamelan is not a foreign instrument, even quite well known in the international arena.

Interesting Topics