Gamelan
Damien Haami
PERF 250-essay
Since the earliest forms of music, notation has been a critical part of developing, learning, and preserving different music works and musical ideas. Music notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music in written form with the use of numbers, symbols, and pictures. The earliest form of musical notation dates back to Iran 2000BC which was found in a cuneiform tablet, however, musical notation has evolved and adapted in many ways since then. The most prominent style of musical notation in today’s musical landscape is the Western classical system, which is interpreted through staves, but it is of the utmost importance to look at diverse kinds of notation in order to continue developing better ways of communicating music. One style of notation that has remained somewhat unchanged throughout musical history can be found in central Java, Indonesia. This essay will explore the history of Javanese music, and highlight the underlying principles used to notate Javanese Gamelan. A key function of gamelan in Indonesia is to demonstrate cultural diversity among its people. Indonesia contains thousands of inhabited islands with hundreds of different ethnic groups speaking a wide variety of Indonesian influenced languages. Gamelan is an indigenous music form has been closely ingrained in Indonesian culture since before the countries earliest records, predating the earliest records of Hindu-Buddhist culture. According to Javanese mythology, Sang Hyang Guru, the god who ruled over Java from a palace in Mendand Kamulan, created gamelan in the form of a gong in 230AD as a means of summoning the other gods to his palace. However, the earliest record of gamelan music ensemble can be found in the 8th century Borobudur temple, in Central Java. The term gamelan, unlike western labeling of musical genres, refers to the instruments used in the ensemble. Javanese Gamelan takes the role of an orchestra, largely involving megaphones in the
PERF 250-essay
Since the earliest forms of music, notation has been a critical part of developing, learning, and preserving different music works and musical ideas. Music notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music in written form with the use of numbers, symbols, and pictures. The earliest form of musical notation dates back to Iran 2000BC which was found in a cuneiform tablet, however, musical notation has evolved and adapted in many ways since then. The most prominent style of musical notation in today’s musical landscape is the Western classical system, which is interpreted through staves, but it is of the utmost importance to look at diverse kinds of notation in order to continue developing better ways of communicating music. One style of notation that has remained somewhat unchanged throughout musical history can be found in central Java, Indonesia. This essay will explore the history of Javanese music, and highlight the underlying principles used to notate Javanese Gamelan. A key function of gamelan in Indonesia is to demonstrate cultural diversity among its people. Indonesia contains thousands of inhabited islands with hundreds of different ethnic groups speaking a wide variety of Indonesian influenced languages. Gamelan is an indigenous music form has been closely ingrained in Indonesian culture since before the countries earliest records, predating the earliest records of Hindu-Buddhist culture. According to Javanese mythology, Sang Hyang Guru, the god who ruled over Java from a palace in Mendand Kamulan, created gamelan in the form of a gong in 230AD as a means of summoning the other gods to his palace. However, the earliest record of gamelan music ensemble can be found in the 8th century Borobudur temple, in Central Java. The term gamelan, unlike western labeling of musical genres, refers to the instruments used in the ensemble. Javanese Gamelan takes the role of an orchestra, largely involving megaphones in the
Bibliography: Tenzer, M. (2006). Analytical studies in World Music. Oxford: Oxford Univerity Press. Music in Central Java: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture (2007) by Benjamin Brinner, Oxford University Press, New York, A Gamelan Manual: A Player 's Guide to the Central Javanese Gamelan (2005) by Richard Pickvance, Jaman Mas Books Gamelan: Cultural Interaction and Musical Development in Central Java (1995) by Sumarsam, Music in Central Java: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture (2007) by Benjamin Brinner, Oxford University Press, New York,