Gamelan Ensembles

Traditional Indonesian Ensemble Music

Today I will be writing about something a bit different from my last posts, which have been about membranophones such as the djembe and the buk. These instruments have stretched membranes that create sound whenever they are struck, either with the hand or a mallet. On the other hand, the sound of a metallophone comes from striking metallic objects, including tuned metal bars, bowls or plates, mainly using mallets. Some examples consist of the Western vibraphone, triangle and glockenspiel, as well as the Indonesian saron, which is used in gamelan, which I will be discussing today.

Gamelan is the term for traditional Indonesian ensemble music, primarily composed of percussion instruments. In 2021, gamelan was listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO for being an “integral part of Indonesian identity dating back centuries.”¹ The history of gamelan dates as far back as the eighth century in the Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms of Java, Sumatra and Bali, or present-day Indonesia.² This is supported by the bas-relief sculptures in Borobudur temple, a Buddhist monument in central Java constructed between 778 and 850 AD during the Sailendra dynasty, depicting the early presence of gamelan ensemble music (Figure 1).³ Interestingly, around the year 1000 the temple was engulfed by volcanic ash and blanketed by vegetation, until Sir Stamford Raffles, an English lieutenant governor and colonial agent uncovered the monument in 1814 (Figures 2 and 3).⁴ These sculptures reveal the long-standing social importance of gamelan ensemble groups gathering to play this traditional music in Java. 

Figure 1: Earliest depiction of a gamelan ensemble from a bas-relief sculpture in Borobudur temple.

Figure 2: A terrace on the temple of Borobudur, 1913. Photographed by Frank Hurley. New South Wales State Library.

Figure 3: Borobudur Temple, 1913. Photographed by Frank Hurley. New South Wales State Library.

The name “gamelan” (ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀) originates from the Old Javanese word gamĕlan meaning “percussion instrument” or “ensemble of percussion instruments," from the root gamĕl- meaning “to strike” or “to hit.”⁵ This old linguistic root points to the significance of percussive instruments, and specifically gamelan metallophones, in Javanese culture. In Javanese mythology, percussion instruments appear to have a powerful role, as the first gamelan ensemble is believed to have been created in Saka era (230 AD) by the god Sang Hyang Guru who reigned over Java, and who wished to communicate with other gods through gongs.⁶

The gamelan ensemble mainly consists of metallophones, such as xylophones, gongs, cymbals, and kendang drums, as well as a range of plucked string instruments and bamboo flutes. All of these instruments have unique roles that collectively constitute the gamelan ensemble. Of all of these instruments, however, the gong is among the most significant, as it provides the long minims or semibreves,⁷ indicating the beginning of each musical phrase in what is known as a ‘colotomic structure.’⁸ According to the Oxford Dictionary of Music, a colotomic structure refers to the ‘rhythmic patterns used in gamelan music’ which serve to ‘mark the beginnings and ends of rhythmic cycles that run at different speeds, usually slowest for the bass instruments and fastest for the treble.’⁹ Thus, the gong constructs the rhythmic structure of gamelan music.

The melody, on the other hand, is determined by the tuned metallophones of the ensemble. This is called the ‘balungan,’ or core melody, which in Javanese literally translates to ‘skeleton’ or ‘frame.’ One of the main instruments that determines the melody of gamelan music is the gangsa, which is a type of metallophone that is struck with a hammer or mallet. The gangsa, and the other melodic instruments of the group, such as the kemenak and bonang, play the central melody or ‘balungan,’ while the others support and embellish it. The result of these instruments collectively enhancing the melody is a richly layered heterophonic texture, for which gamelan music is well known for. 

It’s interesting to note that the influence of gamelan music was not limited to Southeast Asian countries; it has been a source of inspiration internationally, and particularly for nineteenth and twentieth century Western composers of classical music. For instance, after first hearing gamelan at the Paris World Exposition of 1889, like several composers such as Steve Reich, John Cage and Olivier Messiaen among others, Claude Debussy felt invigorated by its novel sounds.¹⁰ In 1903, Debussy composed Estampes, a work for solo piano, in which the first piece entitled ‘Pagodes,’ uses pentatonic scales and a heterophonic texture, reminiscent of gamelan (See Video 1 and 2 for examples of gamelan music and Debussy’s piece respectively).¹¹

Gamelan music can thus be heard around the world, through traditional and experimental musical forms. In Indonesia, where it is a culturally central musical tradition, people of all ages participate in gamelan ensembles, offering a clear example of percussion music as essential to community strengthening in its ability to bring people together. Just as the music’s heterophonic texture is the result of various instruments melodiously coming together, gamelan binds the people playing these instruments in harmony, often during socially significant occasions like religious practices, ceremonies, festivals and traditional theatre and concerts.¹² In some instances, the power of gamelan has benefited patients in their recoveries, thus suggesting the role of percussive music being therapeutic and soothing. 

Figure 4: Gamelan is used by patients at Sumber Porong Mental Hospital in Java, c.1902-1922. Tropenmuseum.

1. UNESCO, “Gamelan,” https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/gamelan-01607, Accessed December 27 2023.

2.  Kalli Szczepanski, “History of Gamelan, Indonesian Music and Dance,” Dotdash meredith, June 26, 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-gamelan-195131, Accessed December 28 2023.

3.  Britannica, “Borobudur,” https://www.britannica.com/topic/Borobudur, Accessed December 28 2023. 

4. Ibid.

5.  “Gamelan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamelan. Accessed 28 December 2023.

6.  Sarah Weiss, “A Brief Introduction to Gamelan Music,” Yale University Javanese Gamelan Ensemble. 2008. https://yalegamelan.yale.edu/brief-introduction-gamelan-music. Accessed 28 December 2023.

7.  ‘Gamelan Music – Colotomic Structure,’ Imagination Creates Reality https://imaginationcreatesreality.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/gamelan-music-colotomic-structure/. Accessed 5 April 2024

8.  Kaitlin Bove, “Gamelan,” https://kaitlinbove.com/gamelan#:~:text=TEXTURE%3A%20Based%20on%20the%20Balungan,based%20on%20the%20COLOTOMIC%20structure, Accessed 3 April 2024

9.  ‘Colotomic Structures,’ Oxford Dictionary of Music, 6th Edition.

10.  “Eastern Rebellion,” Research catalogue https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/1257086/1257122#:~:text=Through%20its%20percussive%20timbre%20and,Claude%20Debussy%2C%20and%20Gyorgy%20Ligeti 

11.  Regina Tanujaya, “Five Composers You Might Not Know Were Influenced by Indonesian Gamelan,” Piano inspires https://pianoinspires.com/5-things-gamelan/#:~:text=Debussy%20first%20heard%20the%20gamelan,and%20the%20repetitive%20rhythmic%20patterns. Accessed 5 April 2024

12. UNESCO, “Gamelan,” https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/gamelan-01607, Accessed December 27 2023.