Here is an interesting article on the contrast of Music style between Java and Bali from Fredric Lieberman.

Java and Bali share many basic music-style elements. The predominant instruments in both traditions are struck metal idiophones and idiophone sets, large ensemble performance is the ideal, and solo instrument traditions are rare. The same kind of tuning systems are found in both areas. Musical form is delineated by colotomic or interpunctuating instruments (gongs) while agogic instruments (drums) control the kinetics of flow; and the prevailing texture is that created by several musical levels, or strata, elaborating or abstracting a basic melody.

Music is primarily an adjunct to ritual, dance-drama, or puppetry, the literature of which derives from the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. Despite these shared characteristics, the two music styles give decidedly differing impressions. Javanese music is refined, controlled, serene, intellectual, “. . . each note is so soft, so tender, so vaguely thrilling, so changing–but ah! how compelling, how bitterly beautiful: that is no tinkling of glass, of copper, or wood; it is the voices of men’s souls that speak to me . . .” (Kartini 1964:50) Balinese music, on the other hand, is dynamic, lively, full of contrast and excitement, with “. . . a beauty that depends upon form and pattern and a vigour that springs from a rhythmic vitality both primitive and joyous.” (DeZoute 1939:6)

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The third day of Classical Dance and Drama Performance (9/29/2007) presented three classic performances – another Leko performance from Badung regency, Gandrung from Denpasar municipality, and Cakepung from Karangasem regency. These three performances were staged indoor with better sitting place for the audience but lack of fresh air and dreary stage background and surrounding (performances in the first and second day were staged outdoor).

The first performance was Leko dance. Another Leko dance (the very same dance with the first performance in the first day of this show) but presented in different way, of course by another troupe. This time, the Leko dance was preceded by three preliminary dances. All these three preliminary dances were danced by very young dancers, their nervousness could clearly be seen in their face but they danced elegantly and manage to overcome their nervousness at the end.

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When you arrive in Bali (mostly through Ngurah Rai International Airport), you will likely be welcomed by the soft and soothing sound of rindik. For most of the visitors, the sound of this musical instrument is the first Balinese music they encounter. If you miss it at the airport, you will likely to hear it at your hotel lobbies, restaurants or other tourists haunts.

flickr.com/photos/cafiso/

The moment of initial contact of the visitors with lovely sound of rindik takes place something like this visitor are sitting in a restaurant or entering a hotel lobby designed in neoBalinese style. While they savor the succulent food or admire the elaborate architecture some sort of background music can be heard. The sound of Balinese traditional bamboo instruments they hear is not a recording but instead is being played live by two or three musicians in one corner of the room or staged on an open bale at the edge of the locale. Were you to look in that corner you would see two musicians, which are gently beating out notes on the rindik sometimes accompanied by the third one plays the bamboo flute suling. The soft and gentle bamboo sound is quite lovely, yet can easily be ignored; you can hear it virtually everywhere in Bali, it is perfect Balinese background music.

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Cakepung is a male social performance, combination of singing and dancing, done strictly for recreation and amusement, and is found today only in Karangasem Regency and on Lombok, its former vassal state. This folk-performance derives its name onomatopoeically from the sound of its accompaniment, a rhythmic vocal sound similar to that produced by the cak chorus. In the accompaniment, two dozen vocalists chant ‘pung-cakapung’ in unison.

A performance of cakapung might take place any evening during leisure time. The dancers gather at about seven o’clock at the bale banjar with simple costume, a sarong, headdress, a shirt sometimes bare-chested. Some participants bring bottles of tuak (Balinese palm wine), brem (sweet wine) or arak (distilled palm wine).

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The word Gamelan is a Balinese term for “orchestra”; there are many types of Gamelan in Bali. Gamelan is a generic term, and there is dozen or more completely different kind of ensembles. Gamelan is a percussion-dominated musical ensemble.

The instruments that are used in a Gamelan ensemble usually consist of

Gangsas
Metallophones that look like xylophones, called gangsas, consist of a carved often gilded, frame containing bamboo resonator over which a series of bronze keys are suspended by hide lacing. The bronze keys are hit with little wooden hammers which causes bamboo resonators below the keys to vibrate. They may have four to fourteen keys and are grouped in matching pairs according to size and number of key. After the keys have been hit by the hammer in the right hand, the left hand immediately grasps the key to stop the sound merging in the next note.

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I was handed a wonderful gift today–a CD re-release of a recording that my Balinese suling teacher, I Gusti Putu Oka, made in 1985 (over 20 years ago!).

photo taken from murnis.com

The re-release was published some time in the last few years (while I wasn’t paying much attention) by Maharani in Denpasar. The cover reads “The Magic Traditional Balinese Music”, “The Tranquil Sound of Solo Bamboo Flute”, “with background Sounds of Nature”, Gusti Putu Oka.

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