Knowledge Organiser

Please find your knowledge organiser for this unit with all of the information you will need, including:

The context and purpose of Gamelan music
The features of programme music
The instruments used in Gamelan music

History and Purpose of Gamelan Music

Gamelan is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments.

In Javanese mythology, the gamelan was created by Sang Hyang Guru (c. AD 230), the god who ruled as king of all Java from a palace on the Maendra mountain. He needed a signal to summon the gods and thus invented the gong. For more complex messages, he invented two other gongs, thus forming the original gamelan set.

For some Indonesians, gamelan has high philosophical values, in terms of sound, roles, and the feelings of the players. Gamelan symbolizes the spirit of community and working together.

Gamelan is important to the religous and spiritual festivals of all people that live in Java and Bali and is used in festivals and ceremonies whether Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic or Islamic. Gamelan's role in rituals is so important that there is a Javanese saying, "It is not official until the gong is hung".

In Bali, almost all religious rituals include gamelan performance. Certain pieces are designated for starting and ending performances of ceremonies. When an "ending" piece is begun, the audience will know that the event is nearly finished and will begin to leave. Certain pieces are also believed to possess magic powers and can be used to ward off evil spirits.

Many Gamalen performances feature dancers or shadow puppet theatre that tell religous stories.

The Gamelan

Gamelan is a collective name for all of the instruments that make up the ensemble in the same way that we used the term Orchestra. Gamelan instruments may vary depending on the set with more grander and precious sets being held by royal courts.

The instruments that make up a Gamelan are split into two groups; pitched percussion and non-pitched percussion. these instruments are often played with either a mallet or a hammer. Below are the most common instruments found in a Gamelan.

Gong

Gongs are important in Gamelan music becaue they help to mark the beginning and end of a cycle of notes. A set of gongs is called a Kempul. They are typically hit with a large soft mallett.

Kenong

Kenong is a collection of medium sized gongs with a low to medium pitch.. The Kenong sticks are taller than that of the Bonang.

Bonang

Bonang is a collection of small gongs (sometimes called "kettles" or "pots") placed horizontally onto strings in a wooden frame. They are typically hit with padded sticks.

Saron

The Saron is a pitched percussion instrument made from metal. The curved bars are played uing a hammer. The lower version of this instrument is called the Demung and higher version is called the Peking.

Gender

The Gender is a pitched percussion instrument made from metal. The ridged bars are played using two mallets. The lower version of this instrument is called the Slenthem.

Kendhang

Kendhang is a two headed drum that is used in Gamelan to help keep the performers in time and to help signal transitions to new sections.

Features of Gamelan Music

Pelog and Slendro Scales

Gamelan makes use of two different scales; pelog and slendro. These scales sound slightly out of tune and different from the sales that are used in western music.

A pelog scale is made up of seven notes
A slendro scale is made up five notes.

Balungan

A balungan is a melody that forms the core idea of a piece of Gamelan music.

Interlocking Layers

Gamelan is made up of lots of different interlocking layers to create the music. The layers are usually based on a core melodic line called a balungan.

Heterophony

Gamelan creates many different versions of the balungan and layers on top of each other. This is called heterophony.

You can hear hetrophony in the example above.

Page updated

Report abuse