1.3. GAMELAN AND ITS FUNCTION IN THE RESEARCH

Question: You talk about this “something” and everything that “is around”. Let's break this down: Can you explain all the components you mention here? What is gamelan music?

Answer: The music style gamelan originates from the Indonesian islands. It is a tradition that grew out of the Hindu/Buddhist culture that dominated Indonesia until the 17th century. In Javanese mythology, the gamelan was created by Sang Hyang Guru in the Saka era (ca. 230 AD). In the 17th century, Islam rose as the main Indonesian religion, leading the remaining Hindu population to flee to the island of Bali. On Bali, gamelan evolved in a new direction. This evolution led towards the two main directions of gamelan we have today; Javanese and Balinese gamelan.

Gamelan music was and is an essential part of Balinese Hinduism due to its strong religious and spiritual connection. Because of this, it has developed into a fast and powerful style. It may be mentioned that in some ceremonies, it is common for individuals to achieve a trance, accompanied by hectic gamelan music. An example of this is the "Barong dance" below.

"Barong” Trace music, own field recording 2012.

Ex. 1.3.1

Javanese Gamelan

In Java, gamelan remained its quieter and more sober expression.

Here is an example of the Javanese gamelan style.

Javanese gamelan

Ex. 1.3.2

Music and religion are inseparable in most areas of Bali, but in 1925 the Balinese gamelan introduced a new style; Gong Kebyar. This music has become Bali's biggest musical export, and what we westerners associate mostly with gamelan. The style is not directly related to religion, and experimentation and innovation are more common.

This example shows many aspects of the Gong kebyar style.

Balinese gamelan: Gong Kebyar “Sekar Jupon”

Ex. 1.3.3

Kebyar

1. Harrison text

Gamelan is mainly an orchestra made up of several types of percussion instruments developed specifically for this ensemble. The main instruments are metallophones, laying or hanging tuned gongs, drums and some other smaller percussion instruments. Besides this, there are bamboo flutes and a string instrument called Rebab. The instruments of gamelan are distinctive and are, as far as I know, only made in Indonesia. Gamelan music is rooted in the scales pelog and slendro. The tuning is based on local tradition and done by ear by the local blacksmith. Therefore the fundamental tone has a large variety. Because of this, it is not common to mix instruments from different sets, or traditions. Balinese gamelan music is, with western musician eyes, seen as very rhythmical and requires precision and interaction in a way that cannot be compared to western orchestral tradition.

The music is strictly structured, has many parts and long durations. Improvisation is not a big part of gamelan, much because of its consistently complex structures. The compositions can still open in length, linked to the performance situation.

The actual sound of the gamelan orchestra depends on the instrumentarium, tradition and musical context. It has a fascinating register of sound colours, from loud and direct sounds to more soft and round, with register frequencies that range from extremely low to high. Gamelan music also holds musical concepts, such as the Kotekan principle, i.e. an interlocking/connection of two complementary rhythmic figures or melodies. Furthermore, this principle has much in common with Steve Reich's use of complementary patterns in, for example, "Drumming" (1970-1971).

I find the gamelan instruments visually fascinating, through its blending of colour and gold, and remarkably detailed woodcarvings. The Balinese gamelan orchestra also contains a symmetrical system with two of each instrument, where these two instruments are tuned slightly different.

The symmetry is a part of the Balinese concept of duality, where two components are needed to create a whole. In the music, this concept is exemplified through:

Equal instruments that complement each other, particularly in the use of kotekan principle.
Instrument tuning. “One” instrument consists of two instruments which are slightly out of tune with each other. This tuning produces oscillations between these instruments.
Musical contrasts: The dynamics are extreme with rapid tempo changes.
The music has a strong rhythmic symmetry: Periods of 2, 4, 8, 16 beats, with corresponding subdivision of note values.

The American composer Lou Harrison exclaimed excitedly after meeting gamelan in the 1950s: "I was fascinated"(1). To Harrison, gamelan is a symbol of Indonesian artistic traditions, but, above all, it functions for him more broadly as a tool for creating musical compositions of artistic beauty.

After starting my research, I have become somewhat more acquainted with Javanese gamelan, a music style that I would describe as the calm twin of Balinese music. Javanese music is built around many of the same principles and instruments, but in general, it is quieter, slower and more low-key. Javanese gamelan also lacks the extensive use of kotekan, which, for me, is the Balinese gamelan's signature.

In the region around Indonesia, there are several music directions which are in the same family as the gamelan. In Thailand, there is the Piphat ensemble, in the Philippines the kulintang ensemble, and in Cambodia the phleng Khmer ensemble, all ensemble traditions which emphasise the extensive use of the gong/metallophone/xylophone/drum instruments. This shows a common core in a percussion-based ensemble sound, without going into depth to define this more. This is of course of great interest from a music history perspective, but it has less significance for my artistic research.

Question: How is the gamelan tradition taken care of in your research?

Answer: This is an artistic research project and is based on my understanding of gamelan music and my performance practice on these instruments. My knowledge about gamelan is founded in what I learned from Tjokorda Raka and observations of gamelan performance practice during my stay in Bali in spring 2012. I believe that the meeting between western music and gamelan music in my research is equal, although the emphasis is somewhat different in the different sub-projects. For me, the keyword is “respect”; I always strive to respect the non-western culture when I, as an outsider, are working with this culture. But what is respect? I see respect as knowledge about this culture and music. Through this knowledge and my presentation of (inspiration from) this culture, the listener might be curious about my music´s background. Through studying gamelan music in Bali, I have gained knowledge, not only for the music, but also the context and this culture in general. This wisdom has given me respect.

As an outsider performer (of a tradition), I see no dilemma in using inspiration from this tradition and the use of instruments from this culture in my own context. This I support by several points:

1. I do not use gamelan traditions that are directly related to religion. Although the gamelan instruments themselves are considered divine objects, some native performers and composers use these instruments in the same way as me. My impression of the gamelan tradition is that the tradition-bearing and the innovation go hand in hand, and their relationship with the west is based on giving and taking. For example, I heard several compositions for gamelan by Balinese composers that contained examples of uneven rhythms and unusual playing and performance techniques, which is not found in traditional gamelan, as in this piece by Dewa Alit.

Another example of a contemporary Balinese composert is I Wayan Gde Yudane. He compositions for gamelan is influenced by western contemporary music.

I Wayan Gdé Yudane: Water

Ex. 1.3.4

John Cage: Haikai (1986)

Ex. 1.3.5

2. I have no desire to contribute to a new understanding of what gamelan music is. Still, my focus is on what I, as a performer and composer, can create through inspiration from, and in interaction with this culture. In this regard, my artistic research falls into a tradition where western composers have found inspiration in the gamelan music, such as Claude Debussy, Benjamin Britten, Lou Harrison and John Cage to name a few. These four represent composers who have been inspired by the gamelan but in four different ways. Debussy used moods and impressions, while Britten composed more traditional gamelan style pieces for symphony orchestras. Harrison made his own Javanese gamelan instrumentarium, which he composed for alone and in interaction with Western instruments inspired by Javanese gamelan, while Cage composed exclusively for gamelan instruments completely independent of the performance techniques and tradition they originated. (Cage also cooperated with Harrison in their piece "Double music")

3. I respect the instruments in a way they should be respected. The most important thing is literally to not step over the instruments. This may seem trivial, but for the Balinese this is blasphemy. To step over the instruments is the same as to step over something divine.

As mentioned earlier, the percussion section in any western ensemble or orchestra is full of instruments which have their origin in other culture’s music. But where is the limit between the “musical spice” of an individual instrument, and the integration of an entire sound world, as gamelan is, into a musical expression? Especially when it comes to multicultural music, the fusion of two or more musical expressions from different cultures, these limits are not clear. From my point of view, the gamelan music and its sound and principles should be inseparably integrated into my different musical expressions. In this way, I feel that my project is not "shopping" for various musical expressions or sounds. In some parts, the gamelan inspiration is more present, wherein other parts it is in the background.

John Cage took a similar approach when preparing for his composition Haikai (1986). Cage was contacted by Canadian composer Jon Siddall, the director of the gamelan ensemble “Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan”, with a commission to write a composition for the gamelan instrument of this ensemble, Si Pawit. Cage travelled to Ontario to work with the ensemble instruments, and through experimenting, he came up with new ways to use these instruments. Among other things, he turned the cup-gong instruments upside down, which produced previously unheard sounds from these instruments. It formed the basis for the Haikai composition. One can argue that Cage from earlier on was inspired by gamelan, especially through his work with the prepared piano and percussion. However, I find no sources or quotes from Cage that this is the case. In this way, one could say that Cage was completely devoid of gamelan inspiration concerning tradition, playing techniques and social context, and was only concerned with gamelan as a sound source.

Through my research, I have found different directions in the use of gamelan instruments, similar to Cage's approach. These discoveries have affected my work. In my "early" period, the focus was to find methods of joining everything together. Now, where everything is around (as in done before), I don´t need to invent a new approach. I can concentrate on making music as an improvisator, performer and composer. For me, this again leads back to the Joseph Jarman quote I mentioned earlier(1).

Gamelan som inspirasjon vesten

1.Debussy quotes in text

Question: You have mentioned both John Cage and Steve Reich. Most of us from the western music culture think of Claude Debussy and his inspiration from gamelan. Can you tell me anything more about how we in western music historically has been inspired by gamelan music?

Answer: Gamelan is an ancient Indonesian style of music which is highly relevant today. For the last 200 years, this music has been of interest for the western world, which originated in the western interest in other cultures art and music. Gamelan music has been an inspiration for composers like Steve Reich, John Cage, Olivier Messiaen, Lou Harrison, Per Nørgård, Claude Debussy, Gyorgy Ligeti to only name a few. Inspiration from gamelan has also partly led to the development of the minimalist style in the sixties. Composers of recent times have been influenced by minimalism and developed this style further through composers like John Luther Adams, David Lang, and in some of his works, Rolf Wallin.

The first western composer associated with gamelan was Claude Debussy. When Debussy heard the Javanese gamelan for the first time at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889, it became an experience that massively influenced him as a composer. During the mentioned World Exhibition, all aspects of Indonesian life and tradition were presented through a fictional village, from agricultural practices to religion and entertainment. Gamelan was an element that linked religious and social life together and was an essential part of the presentation. It became a sensation, especially among musicians and composers, who discovered a form of music that was well-developed, powerful and beautiful, beyond the Western understanding of what music should be.

In a letter from 1895 to his friend Pierre Louÿs, Debussy wrote:

“But my poor friend! Do you remember the Javanese music, able to express every shade of meaning, even unmentionable shades... which make our tonic and dominant seem like ghosts, for use by naughty little children?” (2)

These letters express a desire away from the Western functional harmonic direction, rules of counterpoint and structure, and a fascination for precisely the absence of this in gamelan. Debussy had found his inspiration, which affected his work throughout his career.

3. Ligeti text

4 tenzer text

Claude Debussy: Estampe(1903), 1. Pagodes

Ex. 1.3.6

In Amy Bauer’s article "The Other Side of the Exotic: Balinese Music as a Grammatical Paradigm in Ligeti's "Galamb Borong" (3), ("Galamb Borong" from György Ligeti - Études for Piano (Book 2), No. 7), she discusses Ligeti's inspiration from the Balinese Gong Kebyar, linked to the musical analysis of the Balinese gong kebyar style done by Michael Tenzer in his book "Gong Kebyar"(4)

Sonically, it's hard to hear this influence when listening to this etude. The music is so complex with many layers, composed in a modern western style in many ways eliminates the feeling of gamelan. But it's a sonic link to Debussy's music, a more fluid universe, and to me "Galamb Borong" is more a tribute to Debussy than gamelan itself.

György Ligeti - Galamb Borong

Ex. 1.3.7

To me, Ligeti's etude no.8 “Fem” stands out even more as a distinct gamelan influenced composition. It contains several important concepts that can be found in the Balinese gamelan

György Ligeti - Etude No. 8 "Fem"

Ex. 1.3.8

It has a distinctly syncopated rhythmic concept.
It has a rhythmical interlocking concept between right / left hand.
It has a pentatonic feel.

I find it somewhat under-focused that Ligeti's etude “Fem” has not been investigated by researchers in musicology because of its, for me, obvious rhythmical inspiration from gamelan. My claim is that the gamelan link for "Galamb Borong" is based on the more impressionistic expression this etude has. Since it's a homage to Debussy, it's easy to draw the lines from Debussy to gamelan music.

A different approach of using inspiration from gamelan, are the composers who more or less transcribe gamelan for Western instruments, or are composing music for western instruments in gamelan style. Examples of composers in this field are McPhee, Harrison, Vivier, Britten.

Pulau Dewata' (1977) by Claude Vivier

Ex. 1.3.9

The third direction of western composed music with inspiration from gamelan are composers who take a step away from this obvious way of using inspiration to create compositions for gamelan. This music is primarily based on the composers own aesthetics and compositional principles. These composers focus on the distinctive sound the gamelan instruments offer.

Alvin Lucier - Music for Gamelan Instruments, Microphones, Amplifiers and Loudspeaker(1994)

Ex. 1.3.10

In conclusion, I can point to 3 different directions where gamelan has been a source of inspiration to the composers.

Composers who have been inspired by moods, but not necessarily transferred gamelan concepts, scales and compositions. Not interested in using original instruments. Examples of music include Debussy's “Pagodes”(1903) and Ligeti´s “Fem"(1988–1994)
Composers who transcribe or compose in gamelan style, either for original instruments and/or western instruments. This music has an unmistakable aura of gamelan music, with a particular use of scales and rhythm concepts. Composers in this category are Lou Harrison - “Concerto for Piano and Javanese gamelan”(1987), Benjamin Britten - “The Prince of the Pagodas”(1957) among others.
Composers who experiment with gamelan instruments and try to find new ways to use these instruments. Examples of this include Alvin Lucier - “Music for Gamelan Instruments, Microphones, Amplifiers and Loudspeakers” (1994), John Cage - “Haikai - for gamelan"(1986).

Many of us working in the contemporary field of music, can relate to the music and timbre of gamelan. Steve Reich and his way of using vibraphones, bells, marimba and piano have the distinctive aura of a gamelan orchestra, which is a natural association where, in all its simplicity, a mallet hits a tuned bar of wood or metal. John Cage´s use of the prepared piano and percussion also gives me a sonic association to the gamelan. If I compares gamelan to ordinary percussion I would say that the Balinese gamelan has a more distinct and present attack, with a full tone. This sonic difference is mainly because of the metal which is used(gamelan = bronze vs western melodic instruments = aluminium/stainless steel). The gangsa(metallophone) mallet is also a wood hammer, which produces a full and powerful tone. The Reyong, the unique cup-gong instrument, is for me the link between the hard sound of the gangsa and the softer sound of the big gongs.

John Cage - Sonata V for prepared piano(1946–48)

Ex. 1.3.11

Question: Are any Indonesians involved in your project?

Answer: Not directly, but this research project would not have been possible if it had not been for Tjokorda Raka and what he taught me about gamelan in 2012. This fundamental learning about gamelan and Balinese culture forms the foundation for my understanding and how I, as a western, should treat this culture.

I have been asked; "Why is not any Indonesians involved in your project?", The answer has several reasons:

Gamelan music is not improvised, and gamelan musicians are raised in ensemble performance with a fixed framework and a strong musical hierarchy. My experience is that the gamelan musicians are not trained in the kind of musical interaction I am aiming for in my project, which is based on improvisation and (western) notated music. It would be impossible for me to carry out my projects as intended without musicians with these skills. I find it interesting to make music with musicians who are used to performing in improvisational frameworks, even though they are not used to playing gamelan. This contrast has the potential to create some fresh and innovative soundscapes.
My research does not focus on the meeting of musicians between cultures, but rather what I as a western composer and musician can do with inspiration from this tradition and associated instruments. My visions depend on the musicians I'm cooperating with, and their understanding of the musical expression I am searching for, and this expression is not necessarily dependent on gamelan tradition when it comes to performing practice. It is more important to have a common understanding of improvising and/or performing together in a western context. I am not saying that the traditional way is, by any means, wrong. It is perfect for their culture, and gives an enourmous knowledge about your part in the music. However, In a musical performance related to my projects, these differences in interpretation and performance cultures would have been too much of a burden and would affect the project in a direction I did not want.

Question: Do you know what Indonesian people think about your research?

Answer: I have chosen to not involve Indonesian people in my research. To get a constructive conversation with Balinese composers, regarding my music, I think this conversation needs to be ON Bali. Within the gamelan, there are already many ways of working within the tradition. From, what I would describe as traditionalist; ensembles/composers/performers of the majority of ceremonial music, to modernists, such as Dewa Alit and I Wayan Gdé. In this way, you can get the answer you want based on whom you ask. My teacher Tjokorda Raka, who is a more traditional performer and ensemble leader, introduced me to Dewa Alit and told me that he had designed his gamelan with a 9-tone system that is not part of the traditional mood system in pelog, namely the gong kebyar system. Dewa had also added several big gongs, as well as left out some instruments that he did not need for his music. This shows that an individual adaptation of instruments and experimentation is already part of the Balinese tradition.

Here is an example Dewa Alit, and his, in my opinion, western influences gamelan music.

Dewa Alit: Siklus(2019)

Ex. 1.3.12

Question: You shortly mentioned your artistic results as a contribution to the field of artistic research. Can you elaborate this some more?

Answer: To answer this, I have to look at it from two perspectives:

personal development as a musician and composer

- How does the research affects me as an artist?

I like to think that changing the musical environment also changes the way you perform or how you sound. You don't need to get a new technique or expression, but this new environment colours your expression. So for my research, I have challenged myself in different settings in the context of inspiration from gamelan.

It is difficult to be self-aware of how this has affected me. But throught reflection, I would say awareness of sound is something that comes to my mind. While working on different projects, I have been continuously thinking of how instruments blend together and to make room for every single instrument and its timbre. I feel this is a red thread through all parts of my research. In "Basement Sessions"; a mix of the soundscape of gamelan and modal jazz. In “mantra”; the interaction between single sounds from gamelan together with western instruments. Even though the basis for this interaction was contextualised during different improvisation sessions, Ellen Lindquist's work with composing the piece was the artwork itself.

In “Compositions for...”; the blending of the sound of the Vibraphone and marimba was in focus. When composing this piece, even though I have played several pieces earlier for two mallet instruments, I had to reflect thoroughly on how I should blend these two instruments in the context of kotekan. Kotekan is in principle an extreme blending of two instruments. For the last project "Espen Aalberg & En En En” I had to find instrument combinations which could give me the auditive result I was searching for even though the music was improvised. So my construction of these instrument setups coloured the outcome of the music.

2. contributions to the field.

-Does my research bring something new to the field?

It all depends on what is new. I am not inventing a unique way of playing gamelan or new instruments, which is not my intention. Western composers have experimented with contemporary music for gamelan earlier, so that is also not new. But my main goal regarding contribution to the field is, through thorough reflection, show a personal way of working with non-western cultures. Hopefully, this can be seen as a positive contribution to how respect for a foreign culture, can lead to new and different music in interaction with western music and musicians. To this day, I don't know about any music that earlier has tried to blend gamelan with western instruments as I have done in my projects.

1 harrison list

2. Debussy quotes in list

3. Ligeti list

4. tenzer list

References

1. Leta E. Miller & Frederic Lieberman "American Music Vol.17, No.2(Summer, 1999). p. 149

2. Borgeaud, Henri (editor) "Correspondence de Claude Debussy et Pierre Louÿs (1893-1904)", (Paris: Librairie Jose Corti, 1945), p. 41

3. Bauer, Amy "Music Analysis: the author journal compilation" Vol. 27, No. 2/3, July-October 2008(Wiley, 2008), p. 337-372

4. Tenzer, Michael "Gong Kebyar" (University of Chicago Press, 2000).