Track 5 Ketawang Subakastawa Laras Pelog Pathet Nem
Performed by SEAmusic on the Javanese gamelan gadhon
Rebab: Ian Anderson
Gender: Rachel Hand
Kendhang/gerong: Manuel Jimenez
Slenthem/gerong/gong: Larry Catungal
Gamelan gadhon features the soft instruments of the large Central Javanese gamelan ensemble. ‘Ketawang’ denotes the form of the piece. The tuning (laras) used here is the seven-tone pelog scale, and the mode (pathet) is nem. ‘Subakastawa’, meaning ‘royal gift’, is a popular piece played in many contexts such as wayang puppet theatre and for dance. Javanese gamelan music can be classed as heterophonic: the instruments play the same melody but each interprets it in their own characteristic way, coming together on strong beats. The rebab, a two-stringed spike fiddle, is the melodic leader of the ensemble. The gender, a tube-resonated metallophone, often thought of as being at the heart of the gamelan, plays patterns from one strong note to the next. The kendhang are double-headed drums that control the tempo of the music and signal changes. The slenthem, a low-pitched tube-resonated metallophone, plays the balungan skeletal melody. Most gamelan music is cyclical and the gong is used to mark the end of each cycle. Vocal calls known as alok punctuate the music. The gerong, or male vocal part, in this example tells of a peaceful scene of meditation.
SEAmusic (www.seamusic.org.uk) is a SOAS-based ensemble dedicated to South East Asian music. Manuel Jimenez graduated with his BA Music in 2002 and his MMus (Ethnomusicology) in 2004, and began a PhD researching Balinese bamboo gamelan in 2005 – all at SOAS. Rachel Hand and Larry Catungal both graduated with BAs in Music in 2004; Rachel entered the MMus (Ethnomusicology) programme in 2005, and Larry in 2006. Ian Anderson entered the BA Music programme in Autumn 2005.
