Music. It’s all around. You can hear it on the streets. From the nearest ice cream truck. You can even hear it in the trees. Music is not just mastering a tricky instrument or humming a tune. It’s what fuels humans, transcending normal conversations and becoming a way for oneself to express messages towards a plethora of people all at once, in addition to doing it artistically. Not only that, but music also enhances the ambiance of a performance, making it dramatic, heartfelt, or even sad. Take the orchestra as an example. A carefully selected arrangement of specific instruments, all with the purpose of adding music to an already existing performance. The orchestra is a highly renowned form of music, as it has been played in various of different events for centuries. Whether it be symphony concerts, the ballet, or a live screening of a brand new movie. The orchestra isn’t just limited to leading countries that dominate the classical music industry, such as Germany and France, but it is also in other countries around the world, including Indonesia. However, the Indonesian orchestra is not exactly what it seems to be. Although Indonesia does in fact have official orchestras operating throughout the country, another art form comes to mind when people talk about Indonesian instrumental assortments. That is, of course, the Gamelan.
Gamelan, defined by Dinas Kebudayaan Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (Cultural Office of the Special Yogyakarta Region), is a traditional percussive form of Indonesian music. The word ‘gamelan’ originally came from the word ‘gembelan’, meaning to hammer or beat something in the Javanese language. And by hammering, they mean it literally, as that is the way in which most of the instruments in the ensemble are sounded. Gamelan’s purpose has advanced since the olden times, from traditional events to ritualistic ceremonies, education, information media, religious purposes, and other uses. According to the New World Encyclopedia, the origins of gamelan are not only ancient but also mysterious, as people are not quite sure when and where exactly the gamelan came from. Apparently, in early records, it predates the Hindu-Buddhist culture, which at that time dominated Indonesia and was represented as a native art form. The current instruments still used in modern-day gamelan were developed during the Majapahit Empire. Additionally, even though India had such a big influence on other Indonesian art, the only impact it had on gamelan music was the Javanese singing style. Even though the true history of this art form is left to be answered, Javanese mythology tells a completely different story.
Local Javanese myths believe that the gamelan was actually first created during the Saka era (c. 230 C.E.) by the god Sang Hyang Guru, the one who ruled as the Javanese king from a palace up in the Maendra mountains located in Medangkamulan, which is now called Mount Lawu. For context, the Saka era is an obsolete Indian calendar system that is said to have been founded by Scythians, a group of migratory Indo-Iranian people who moved to India in the 2nd century BC. Moving on, the god wanted a signal to summon the rest of the gods, thus inventing the gong, a big and round metal disk that makes a thunderous sound once hit. For even more complicated messages, he invented two more gongs, forming the original gamelan set. In the Javanese palaces lay the oldest known musical ensembles, the Munggang and Kodokngorek gamelans, which were said to have been from the 12th century. These ensembles were the basis of a “loud’ style of music. A different and more “soft” music style emerged from the kemanak tradition, a historical style of Javanese gamelan music that is centered around the kemanak instrument. It is also related to the art and traditions of singing Javanese poetry, in a manner that is believed to be quite similar to modern Javanese Bedhaya dance performances. In the 17th century, both these loud and soft styles mixed together, resulting in numerous varieties of modern gamelan styles from multiple Indonesian regions, resulting from the different ways these original styles were mixed. Therefore, the births of a multitude of contrasting yet unique modern gamelan music styles spread throughout Indonesia’s archipelago. Despite the seemingly diverse set of styles, many of them still share the same qualities, from the same theoretical concepts, techniques, and especially the instruments.
A complete gamelan arrangement is typically comprised of various sets of gongs and other tuned metal instruments that are played by being hit by mallets. The gongs can either be suspended vertically or placed flat. Angelic percussive instruments, such as the bonang, the xylophone (gambang kayu), and other metallophone instruments, which are instruments that have a series of metal tuned plates and can also be suspended over a resonance trough or on resonance tubes. A constant melody is played with either a bamboo flute (suling), a bowed stringed instrument, or even sung. The last of those three is especially used when the gamelan is accompanying theatrical performances, such as the ever-so-famous wayang shows. The voice is then added as part of the orchestral texture of the music. However, what dominates the past two instrument groups is the drum, called the kendang in the Javanese language. The kendang unites all of the instruments together and acts as the frontliner of the orchestra. Most Javanese gamelan sets have their own singers, whilst Balinese gamelans exclusively consist of percussive instruments. Many of these gamelan sets, with all the different sizes, can be distinguished depending on the region that they came from. But at the end of the day, all gamelan assortments serve the purposes of entertainment and culture.
With all its distinct instruments, ancient past, and melodious sound, the gamelan is an important piece of Indonesian culture and history, shaping traditional Indonesian music for years now. In almost every traditional Indonesian theatrical performance or experience, the gamelan will most likely be there as a source of music for the production. In addition, it’s even globally recognized as a cultural artifact, being officially dubbed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2021. Thus, not only is the gamelan an Indonesian treasure that has influenced Indonesian art and culture for ages, but it has also graced its beauty across the world.
References
Sejarah Gamelan. Dinas Kebudayaan (Kundha Kabudayan) Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. (2023, June 16). https://budaya.jogjaprov.go.id/berita/detail/1531-sejarah-gamelan
Gamelan. New World Encyclopedia. (n.d.). https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Gamelan#google_vignette
Kumar, S. (2023, March 29). Saka Era, Meaning, Definition, History & Importance. UPSC Adda247. https://www.adda247.com/upsc-exam/saka-era/
Gamelan - UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Intangible Cultural Heritage. (n.d.-a). https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/gamelan-01607
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