Bali: Gamelan & Kecak

Submitted by nonesuch on
Release Date
DescriptionExcerpt

Recorded in 1987, this album captures the rich Balinese gamelan tradition at a crossroads. While the traditional music and accompanying shadow puppet shows still thrived, younger conservatory-trained musicians had become aware of a broad spectrum of musical possibilities. The tracks heard here, a mix of traditional and more recent pieces, show how gamelan absorbed newer influences while maintaining its unmistakable character.

Description

FROM THE ORIGINAL LINER NOTES (1989)

For Bali’s musicians, this is a time of great change. While the island’s conservatory is producing well-rounded artists, it is also part of a contemporary dilemma. For as young musicians are exposed to a broad professional training, they become aware of fresh possibilities. In the search for original expression, many of the accepted conventions that characterized the traditional music are diluted. Bali’s most popular ensemble is still the large gamelan gong, consisting of 25-30 musicians. The principal melody instruments are metallophones, xylophone-like instruments with bronze keys. Sets of small tuned gong kettles provide melodic ornaments, while the penetrating bass tones of great gongs punctuate larger phrases. Clashing cymbals add to the overall glitter. A flute or stringed instrument sweetens the melody. The entire structure is supported by two drummers, who create the crucial rhythmic underpinning.

ProductionCredits

Recorded in Bali by David Lewiston

Nonesuch Selection Number

79814

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
ns_album_artistid
197
ns_album_id
507
ns_album_releasedate
ns_genre_1
0
ns_genre_2
0
Album Status
Artist Name
Explorer Series: Indonesia
reissues?
reissues
Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
MP3
Price
8.00
UPC
081227775261
  • 79814

News & Reviews

  • David Lewiston passed away in Hawaii on May 29, 2017, at the age of 88, after an extended illness. The inveterate traveler-musicologist was among the first to release recordings as part of the Nonesuch Explorer Series, which presented indigenous music from around the world, in the late 1960s. His first recording in the series, Music from the Morning of the World, featuring field recordings from Bali, was inducted into the National Recording Registry of "culturally significant" sound recordings in 2008. Here, the musician, producer, and writer Brian Cullman offers a remembrance.

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  • About This Album

    FROM THE ORIGINAL LINER NOTES (1989)

    For Bali’s musicians, this is a time of great change. While the island’s conservatory is producing well-rounded artists, it is also part of a contemporary dilemma. For as young musicians are exposed to a broad professional training, they become aware of fresh possibilities. In the search for original expression, many of the accepted conventions that characterized the traditional music are diluted. Bali’s most popular ensemble is still the large gamelan gong, consisting of 25-30 musicians. The principal melody instruments are metallophones, xylophone-like instruments with bronze keys. Sets of small tuned gong kettles provide melodic ornaments, while the penetrating bass tones of great gongs punctuate larger phrases. Clashing cymbals add to the overall glitter. A flute or stringed instrument sweetens the melody. The entire structure is supported by two drummers, who create the crucial rhythmic underpinning.