Page 170 - HandbookMarch1

gamelans. The fundamental pitch of the gamelan is set not to a universal standard but, instead, to one chosen
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by its maker, often the highest note he can conveniently sing. In a practice that must be astonishing for
Western musicians, "unison" instruments may be intentionally made slightly out of tune with each other, to
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produce a shimmering timbre when they are played together. The microtonal uniqueness of each gamelan is a
part of its character, and is known and valued by Javanese players. Substituting an instrument or installing a
replacement part is unthinkable. The fixed tuning of the percussion instruments may be enriched in
performance by special inflections of intonation known as "vocal tones," provided by the suling (flute), rebab
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(spike fiddle), and singers. The actual music played upon the gamelan limits its focus to selected notes and
ranges, resulting in three patets, akin to Western modes. 20
Gamelan music is built of blended melodic layers. The manner of playing is dynamically level, and the balanced
heterophony among the various melodies reflects Javanese society, in which restrained behavior and smooth
interactions are valued. In a study entitled Folk Song Style and Culture, Alan Lomax describes this "Old High
Culture" society as

a highly stratified world, where the fate of every individual depended upon his relationship to the
superstructure above him, where he was confined within a system of rigid social stratification, and where
his survival depended upon his command of a system of deferential etiquette . . . . [In music] there is a
strong relationship between increase of layering . . . and elaboration. [ . . . ] Another measurement of
increased social formality is orchestral complexity. 21

Among the layers, a central skeleton melody (balungan) provides a guide. Even if not rendered note for note, its
outline is known and expected by all the players. It moves in fairly conjunct intervals over a narrow range and in
steady note values at moderate tempo. Simultaneously other instruments improvise elaborations that enrich the
basic melody. Players learn short melodic patterns (cengkoks) around and between skeleton tones, and then
improvise their placement into the texture during performance. The equally blended effect is unlike Western
classical music, in which usually a primary melody stands out from harmony and improvisation is uncommon.
The speed or, rather, rhythmic intensity of improvisation is naturally influenced by the resonance and clarity of
the instrument upon which it is played. Soft style percussion instruments are able to play quicker, more intricate
patterns than loud style instruments. Specific ratios (iramas), named and known to all the players, govern the
speed of the notes. Rather than defining individual time values such as quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes,
iramas instead indicate relative speeds in reference to the skeleton notes. Ratios of 2:1, 4:1, 8:1, 16:1 dictate
subdivisions, each doubling the intensity of activity.
Holding together, indeed controlling, all elements of gamelan music is rhythmic punctuation known as colotomic
structure. The rhythmic architecture always includes large gong phrases (gongans) and smaller phrases of
exactly half and quarter length, the phrases and subdivisions always proceeding in four-beat groups (gatras).
The ethnomusicologist Judith Becker explains both large structures and elaborative subdivisions relative to
Javanese philosophy:

This regularity and order . . . reflects the orderly universe. Traditional gamelan music both sanctioned and
was sanctioned by heaven, resulting in a musical conservatism manifested by the rigid adherence to four-
beat units, which may be either multiplied or subdivided, . . . a musical relationship that has remained fixed
for a thousand years or more. 22
Endings provide the most important rhythmic events in gamelan music (not beginnings, as in the Western
downbeat). The endings of a whole piece and its most important sections are marked by the largest gong (gong
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ageng), whose deep rich timbre resonates with all of the overtones of the other instruments. Smaller gongs
punctuate the endings of intermediary sections. Of various sizes, shapes, and sounds, their names are
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onomatopoeic—ketuk, kempul, kempyang, kenong, gong. Each player is constantly aware of the colotomic
structure and always expects the arrivals of the appropriate gong markers at the ends of phrases and sections.
At the very end, players all listen attentively for the gong ageng and even adjust the timing of their own final
notes in deference to it. Arrivals of endings require ritards in preparation. Changes in iramas require changes in
tempo to accommodate more or less rhythmic activity. These tempo changes are usually directed by hand
drums (in loud style) or by the rebab (in soft style). Players all listen for rhythmic cues rather than visually
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