Music of Bali
| Music of Indonesia | |
|---|---|
 Kempul gongs from Java | |
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| Genres | |
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| Specific forms | |
| Regional music | |
Bali is an Indonesian island that shares in the gamelan and other Indonesian musical styles. Bali, however, has its own techniques and styles, including kecak, a form of singing that imitates the sound of monkeys. In addition, the island is home to several unique kinds of gamelan, including the gamelan jegog, gamelan gong gede, gamelan gambang, gamelan selunding and gamelan semar pegulingan, the cremation music angklung and the processional music bebonangan. Modern popular styles include gamelan gong kebyar, dance music which developed during the Dutch occupation and 1950's era joged bumbung, another popular dance style. In Balinese music you can also hear metallophones, gongs and xylophones.
Characteristics
More than 50 people must be dancing during the music. Balinese music can be compared to Javanese music, especially that of the pre-Islamic period. During that time, Javanese tonal systems were imported to Bali.
Balinese gamelan, a form of Indonesian classical music, is louder, swifter and more aggressive than Javanese music. Balinese gamelan also features more archaic instrumentation than modern Javanese gamelans. Balinese instruments include bronze and bamboo xylophones. Gongs and a number of gong chimes, are used, such as the solo instrument trompong, and a variety of percussion instruments like cymbals, bells, drums and the anklung (a bamboo rattle). There are two sizes of bamboo flutes, both used in theatrical music, and a rebab (two-stringed spike fiddle).
Modern forms of Balinese gamelan include kebyar, an energetic style played by clubs, which generally compose their own music.
References
External links
- An Introduction to Balinese Music by Michael Tenzer
Triguna: A Hindu-Balinese Philosophy for Gamelan Gong Gede Music by Made Mantle Hood