A Night of Javanese Gamelan Music

Solonese and Cirebon Traditions

The Melbourne Community Gamelan

under the direction of Poedijono

Gamelan Cirebon Melbourne

under the direction of Michael Ewing

3 August 2002

University of Melbourne Gamelan Room

210 Berkeley Street

Lancaran NYI GEMI RARAS, laras slendro pathet manyura

The concert opens with a piece which Poedijono composed for the Melbourne Community Gamelan. This piece has the same name as the set of gamelan instruments being played this evening, Nyi Gemi Raras. Nyi is the honorific term for women, because our gamelan is female. GEMI is an acronym for Gamelan Education Melbourne Institute, where the gamelan was first housed, and gemi also means ‘thrifty’ in Javanese. Raras means ‘musical scale’. An interpretation of  Nyi Gemi Raras could be ‘The Venerable Enduring Sound’.

GANGSARAN minggah Ladrang LUNG GADHUNG – laras pelog pathet nem

Gangsaran comes from gangsar meaning to flow freely and is an ostinato on a single pitch. This is followed by Lung Gaduhung referring to a type of curling tendril and also the similar shape in wood carvings. This piece then returns to Gangsaran before ending.

Ladrang WILUJENG, laras slendro pathet manyura

Wilujeng, whose name means ‘safe, secure,’ reflects the feeling we hope will be engendered by this evening’s performance.

Ladrang ASMARADANA laras slendro pathet manyura

Asmara means love, dana means to give.

INTERVAL

Lagu KEMBANG KAPAS naek SEMARANG BUNCIS, laras prawa

Cirebon, on the north coast of Java, is home to a wide range of distinctive art forms, including Tari Topeng or masked dancing. Tonight we are playing the music that would accompany the dance the Rumyang, which portrays a character who is establishing him or herself in the world.

Ladrang PANGKUR to AYAK-AYAKAN - SREPEGAN, slendro pathet sanga

Pangkur is a standard Javanese classical verse form. Ayak-ayakan and sprepegan are often played for wayang and dance performances. Tonight these pieces are played in a suite in klenengan style with singing.

Lancaran TROPONGBANG, laras Pelog Nem

Tropong is a weaving shuttle.  Bang means red.

Lancaran KOTHEK laras Slendro pathet Manyura

The title of this piece refers to the conventionalised rhythmic patterns, kothekan, that are produced by several women pounding rice together in the traditional method.  After this piece is finished, audience members will be invited to try this piece themselves.

Gamelan

Gamelan music is perhaps the most well known of the hundreds of traditional performing arts among the cultures found in the Republic of Indonesia.  The term gamelan refers to the entire set of instruments, to the music played on them and to the group who plays them.

The Melbourne Community Gamelan

The members of the Melbourne Community Gamelan have been studying and performing for a number of years under the direction of Bapak Poedijono.  The group Gamelan Cirebon Melbourne is directed by Michael Ewing.  There is overlap between the membership of the two groups.

We would like to express our thanks to Dr Cathy Falk and to the Faculty of Music for their support of Indonesian performing arts in Australia, and for allowing us to practise  and perform on the instruments used today. Thank you to all who have attended this event. If you would like to be on our mailing list for notification of future performances, please send an email to the address below. 

The Musicians