Bali has developed and nourished an astonishing variety of gamelan ensembles - a kaleidoscope of sound and rhythm that is recognized today as one of the world's most sophisticated musical traditions. Despite changes effected by a contemporary life, hundreds of village groups still perform regularly all around the tiny island - from isolated mountain hamlets to the crowded neighborhoods of Denpasar.
A tight interaction of melodic, rhythmic and textual components sustains the powerful orchestral gamelan music of Bali. The building blocks of the music share many traits with the larger social organization of Balinese villages, which provide a compelling setting for music that is an integral part of daily life.
The primary function of music in Bali is to accompany ritual activity, but it is performed in many recreational contexts also. The instruments, most often made from bronze or bamboo, are organized into ensembles and tuned according to a set of flexibly interpreted standards.
Villages may maintain one or several types of gamelan and use each for a ritually predetermined set of occasions. Music is composed, memorized and rehearsed at the village meeting hall. When a gamelan accompanies dancers, as it often does, the close connection between movement and sound are brought to life through a complex system of interactive cues and responses.
Performance standards are very high, and even with Bali's current and rapidly expanding connection to the rest of the world, gamelan remains almost wholly unaffected by outside influences. The tradition is still learnedand developed with vigor, and the music has found an increasingly broad international audience.
This authoritative book, newly revised and updated, presents an introduction to more than a dozen different types of Balinese gamelan, each with its own established traditions, repertoire and social or religious contexts.
The instruments and basic principles underlying the gamelan are introduced, thus providing listeners with the means to better appreciate the music. Scores of beautiful color photographs, a sonography, and a brief guide to studying and hearing music in Bali, will prove indispensable to visitors and gamelan aficionados around the world.
The author Michael Tenzer teaches at the University of British Columbia and is a recognized authority on Balinese gamelan. He was a co-founder of the Sekar Jaya gamelan group in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is a well-known
composer of both Western and Balinese music.
Balinese Music by Michael Tenzer, Periplus Editions 1998, ISBN 962-593-169-4, 143 pages, color plates, appendices, selected sonography, glossary, selected bibliography, index.
Available for Rp145,000 at Periplus Bookshops in the Bali Galleria and in the Matahari in Kuta, Warung Made in Seminyak, Ngurah Rai Airport (both international and domestic terminals), in Gramedia Bookstores, and in Ary's, Ganesha and Periplus bookshops of Ubud.
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