Re: gamalan

[Peter Harlan <pharlan@efn.org>]

I play in a (Javanese) gamalan ensemble based in Eugene, Oregon. From what
I gather, in Indonesia neither musicians nor composers are particularly
respected in general. The culture of gamelan is more about cooperation and
collaboration than individual virtuosity (although there certainly are
virtuoso-caliber players.) Gamelan music results from the shared efforts
of all the musicians in the ensemble. In general, the music is esteemed if
the players are actively listening to one another, subjugating individual
creativity to the demands of the music as a whole, and otherwise remaining
true to the long-held performance traditions that inform the music and the
culture.

It's interesting to note that composition, as we know it, does not usually
take place, and is not especially welcomed. Many musical pieces are very
old, although new ones do enter the repertoire. But these new pieces, to be
well-received, must not depart too radically from anything traditional.

-Peter

Liebig, Steuart A. wrote:
> 
>         I can't
>         say I know anything about their culture, but I'd bet that those 
>who
>         master the art of Gamalan are regarded very highly in their 
>society,
> and
>         compensated for it in some way.  I bet they don't even have to 
>pay
> to
>         use the PA when they play out. ;-)  (sorry, I just can't help 
>being
> a
>         sarcastic bastard)  I'd love for our culture to be like that, but
> guess
>         what?  It's not.  We're capitalists and unless we can find ways 
>to
> fund
>         what we do, we're probably not doing it.
> 
>         An interesting (I hope) story  . . . a friend of mine was 
>gigging in
> (Bali I think). He said that there were two local guys he was playing 
>with
> that were doing mostly western music - -  pop, rock, r&b, jazz stuff - -
> because that's where the money was. These guys were, in comparison to 
>most
> of the populace, pretty well-heeled . . . good gear, nice clothes, 
>jewelry,
> cars; in other words, the usual materials goods that many get when they 
>are
> affluent . . .
> 
>         My friend was at a hotel and saw a small Gamalan orchestra
> performing for a wedding. Apparently these people were playing for 
>something
> like 6 hours (or more?) for very little in comparison to what my friend 
>and
> his folks were making for 3-hour club dates.
> 
>         I don't know how masterful these people were at their traditional
> music, but I'm not sure how "valued" they are . . . more signs of
> encroaching western cultural imperialism?
> 
>          I agree that things are pretty
>         sad at the moment.  I hope that the free exchange of thoughts via
> the
>         internet will free us from the shackles of BIG BUSINESS IN THE 
>ART
> WORLD
>         by allowing us to distribute our stuff by ourselves.  Maybe then 
>the
>         myth of the superstar will die and we can be regarded as people 
>who
> do a
>         specific job in our society, a highly valued job.
> 
>         I concur . . .
> 
>         stig