Bali: Roots of Gamelan

Amazon.com
Since the West became acquainted with it in the late 1920s, Balinese gamelan music has inspired musicologists, given birth to minimalism, and even been mimicked by electronica artists. It's easy to hear why: with its complex, polyrhythmic sounds played out on perfectly tuned gongs and chimes, gamelan music is one of the most exciting and exotic sounds heard in the world. It's gorgeous to listen to, thrilling to witness, and sounds like nothing else on earth. On The Roots of Gamelan, we're given a real treat: the earliest commercially available recordings of gamelan music (dating from 1928), along with the 1941 transcriptions that composers Colin McPhee and Benjamin Britten made in their attempt to recreate gamelan sounds with Western instrumentation (mainly, the piano). Recording quality is mediocre here, but the music pours forth. A wide variety of styles is played (from the lyrical and comedic Janger to the wildly furious Kebyar compositions) by some of the finest gamelan musicians alive in the era of recorded music. This aural history lesson is filled with delights, and it's easy to see why composers Britten and McPhee (and latter, a whole batch of New Music composers, including Harry Partch) were smitten with the music. And, though the pair are unable to convey the power of the gamelan on their Steinways, it's fascinating to hear their interpretations. --Jason Verlinde

From Rhythm Magazine
The only known commercial recordings of Balinese gamelan music available prior to World War II came out in 1928. These rare recordings on the Odeon, Parlophone and Beka labels were released on 78 rpm discs, which meant that the amazing performances had to be broken down into three-minute selections. Naturally, there is a fair amount of hiss, but the album offers a fascinating early glimpse into a type of music that has since become more widely known and influential. Canadian composer Colin McPhee, who happened to hear these recordings and ended up devoting most of his life to this sort of music, closes the album with his transcriptions of ceremonial music, which he plays in piano duets with Benjamin Britten. A 28-page booklet of notes is included.

Tracks:

Kebyar Ding I: Kebyar - Gong Of Belaluan
Kebyar Ding II: Surapati - Gong Of Belaluan
Kebyar Ding III: Oncang-Oncangan - Gong Of Belaluan
Kebyar Ding IV: Batel - Gong Of Belaluan
Kebyar Ding V: Pengrang-Rangan - Gong Of Belaluan
Kebyar Ding VI: Pengawak & Pengecet - Gong Of Belaluan
Curik Ngaras - Gong Of Belaluan
Kembang Langkuas - Gong Of Belaluan
Calonarang: Sisya - Pelegongan Of Kuta
Calonarang: Ngalap Base-Ampin Lukun - Pelegongan Of Kuta
Gegenggongoan - Pelegongan Of Kuta
Gonteng (Djawa) Pengawak Solo - Pelegongan Of Kuta
Lagu 'Tabuh Gari' - Gong Of Busungbiu
Lagu 'Cocelantungan' - Gong Of Busungbiu
Selendro - Gender Wayang Of Kuta
Putih Putih Saput Anduk - Janger Group Of Abian Timbul
Lagu Gending 'Merdah' - Angklung Of Sidan
Lagu 'Ngisep Dublag' - Angklung Of Sidan
Pemungkah - Colin McPhee/Benjamin Britten/Georges Barrere
Rebong - Colin McPhee/Benjamin Britten/Georges Barrere
Gambangan - Colin McPhee/Benjamin Britten/Georges Barrere
Lagu Delem - Colin McPhee/Benjamin Britten/Georges Barrere
Tabu Telu - Colin McPhee/Benjamin Britten/Georges Barrere
Lagu Ardja - Colin McPhee/Benjamin Britten/Georges Barrere
Kambing Slem - Colin McPhee/Benjamin Britten/Georges Barrere

Amazon.com

Since the West became acquainted with it in the late 1920s, Balinese gamelan music has inspired musicologists, given birth to minimalism, and even been mimicked by electronica artists. It's easy to hear why: with its complex, polyrhythmic sounds played out on perfectly tuned gongs and chimes, gamelan music is one of the most exciting and exotic sounds heard in the world. It's gorgeous to listen to, thrilling to witness, and sounds like nothing else on earth. On The Roots of Gamelan, we're given a real treat: the earliest commercially available recordings of gamelan music (dating from 1928), along with the 1941 transcriptions that composers Colin McPhee and Benjamin Britten made in their attempt to recreate gamelan sounds with Western instrumentation (mainly, the piano). Recording quality is mediocre here, but the music pours forth. A wide variety of styles is played (from the lyrical and comedic Janger to the wildly furious Kebyar compositions) by some of the finest gamelan musicians alive in the era of recorded music. This aural history lesson is filled with delights, and it's easy to see why composers Britten and McPhee (and latter, a whole batch of New Music composers, including Harry Partch) were smitten with the music. And, though the pair are unable to convey the power of the gamelan on their Steinways, it's fascinating to hear their interpretations. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2002-11-27

A worthy addition to any music lover's collection.

Rare Moment in Balinese Music, Timeless and Teasured!!!.......2001-09-21

Very extraordinary cd, itýs not everyday that one would come along and find a cd with such wonderful music apart from the constant hissing since they where recorded on old records. This has to be one of the earliest recordings of Balinese gamelan music before the war or ever in the whole worldý when Bali was just opening up to tourism in the 1930s. Most of the records often indicated that the musicians were actually experimenting with new repertoires for the kebyar style which took Bali by storm a few years after the puputan massacre. This style was just slowly beginning to take root as I can still hear from the playing style they have taken repertoires from gamelan gong gede and transplanted it into the new and more modern kebyar style. The recording still has traits of that distinct old style ýgong gedeý and ýpelegonganý from the metallophones and large boss gongs as it slowly punctuates through each track, yet the music didnýt show any fast tempos, it was stately and grand but over the decades with some recordings the tempo has gone from stately to really fast and chaotic at times. Apart from the tempo speeding up over the decades, the gong gede playing style also disappeared moving away from itýs early beginnings as kebyar style was taking itýs true form that we often hear today, but somewhere along the line the gong gede style goes unnoticed and is very hard to pick up in the music and the only possible give away would be the title or the name of the piece being played which will determine whether itýs secular or ceremonial piece, or when the piece is to be played on the more ancient orchestras that the piece was intended. This has to be the original recordings to Balinese gamelan music.

Other orchestras included gamelan pelegongan which was a five tone version of the seven tone semar pegulingan or better known as ýmusic for the royal bedroom or music from the God of Love Semaraý. The gamelan pelegongan carried wonderful virtuosic sounds and repertoires from the semar pegulingan which soon became are and faded with the royal aristocracy. The sounds were divine with the light sounds, tones and colours of the music being performed for the recording. Apart from gong kebyar and pelegongan there were also gender wayang quartet with their mysterious and shimmering tones as musicians struck each key. Jangger I found was much similar to the kecak that was performed for tourists yet it was also a little bit different because it contained female vocals a rebab which is a two-stringed fiddle and a frame drum making this particularly unusual in the chanting sounding as though if it was a tribal dance. Gamelan angklung was really sweet in sound and in texture. The vibrant tones were bitter sweet and often I could actually pick out in the background the angklung or bamboo rattles which were shaken accompanying the orchestra, however with time angklung had disappeared and has only remained in name for the orchestra making it much rarer to hear in the recording.

There were also transcription of ceremonial music by Colin Mcphee and Benjamin Britten on piano which was wonderful I found it very interesting to see that the Colin Mcphee and his partner were actually experimenting with the music and it did make a contrast one piece that I was familiar with was track 19 ý Pemungkah that would be used at any ceremony at an opening piece. Track 19 ý Pemungkah is similar in playing style to Gamelan Music of Bali recorded by Deben Bhattacharya in track 2 ý Mahabharata (from a shadow play called Wayan Kulit) which played an exact opening piece in the same repertoire. Also there were transcriptions by Georges Barrere playing the flute with Colin Mcphee as the pianist.

I found this cd to be a wonderful and rare moment in music because, Colin Mcphee had put so much effort into his study of Balinese music that he made recordings that were to be or supposed to be publicised to the whole world in the form of a 78 rpm discs. The contents are pretty rare, despite the constant hissing. I guess the musicians in the gamelan where also experimenting with music and they showed a lot of skill in the playing style. The contents were great and the booklet contained a lot of information that was well researched regarding each track which is useful for the listener which is I am happy to comment on. There were a few photos including the famous composer I Wayan Lotring and a few other photos which make it more wonderful to see rare photos of musicians playing with their musical instruments. I can recommend this cd to anyone who is interested regarding the first recordings of gamelan music development with the radical kebyar style in Bali which started a few years after the Dutch takeover of Bali as well as the gamelan pelegongan, gender wayang etcý I give it the thumbs up.

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