Title: Bali: Music for Gong Gede
Artist: Bali Gamelan Musicians
Culture: Balinese Gamelan
Instrumentation: Various Percussion Instruments
After reading about the gongsmiths and the process that they must go through to create even a single gong instrument, I decided to try and find some cultural music that include many metal type percussion instruments. I came across Bali: Music for Gong Gede which includes many percussion instruments. As far as context of this piece, many Balinese gamelan pieces can last for long periods of time and can even include interpretive dance that goes along with the music. In many cases the context of this music is telling a story of their culture to those that are listening. In this piece for Gong Gede the beat is provided by the largest gong and the music goes through cycles of fast, slow, loud and soft. The context of this particular piece was for public ceremonies and special occasions such as temple festivals of the Bali people.
Hi Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and listening to your musical selection this week. It is an interesting point that not all musical structures that are influenced by context are able to be understood when just listening to a recording. Though as you pointed out, it's very apparent that Balinese gamelan pieces are heavily influenced but not only the story of the culture being told, but the inclusion of interpretive dance that could be included. The variation of tempo and dynamic also adds significance to the piece, possibly in terms of climax or conflict in the story. You mentioned that this particular piece is for public ceremonies and special occasions such as temple festivals. I wonder what is being celebrated at the festivals that use this piece. Thank you for your post!
Andrew, this post is such a great example of a Gamelan orchestra. I have been obsessed with this type of music for many years, and cannot get over the unique colors and textures produced by these instruments. The organization of sounds in the framework of this genre always fascinates me, as there are so many rich layers of sound, adding up to form an ultra-dense polyphony. As you mentioned, this music can sometimes tell a story about the the culture of Bali, can last of long periods of time. This music has also been used for meditative purposes because of its tranquil quality. Thanks again for sharing this great piece, Andrew!
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