From Issue 2
Album Review: Nunas Taksu by Gamelan Singamurti
I Dewa Made Suparta
Liku-liku [Rosemainy]
In this work, composer Rosemainy experiments by mixing concepts and features from Balinese gamelan with those from other music cultures. In the opening section kebyar-inspired unison attacks follow a slow melodic prelude. In addition to the use of typical Balinese gamelan techniques, such as interlocking, layers of melody and elaboration, and angsel rhythms heard at the beginning, a rhythm resembling a West African bell pattern (or timeline) is played on the kajar for several cycles. At particular moments of the piece angsel rhythms are articulated by progressively shortening a pattern in a way that is similar to the North Indian tihai. Although the composition often conforms to what is expected in Balinese gamelan, the composer occasionally discards certain conventions, particularly the traditional approach to melodic contour and harmony. She instead ornaments on stepwise descending pitches and “moving” reyong ‘chords’ that harmonize the melodic tones (rather than playing a fixed unison “byong”). In the final minutes of the piece, typical rhythmic features including binary subdivisions and avoiding the downbeat are discarded. Instead, the ugal subdivides the beat into three and is supported by the kendang which accents the downbeat. A final observation to note about the timbre is an overall staccato-like sound. In essence, consecutive pitches do not resonate long enough before being dampened. Although it is unclear whether this is intentional, it suits the composition well. In this work, the composer successfully combines both traditional and more contemporary Balinese gamelan styles with other music concepts in a way that resembles an overall Balinese aesthetic.
Empunya [Zachary Chan]
Empunya is through-composed in the style of Balinese kreasi baru and features an interesting blend of timbres between the cello, clarinet, gamelan, and voice. The piece begins with a reyong solo introducing the first portion of a larger 22-beat cycle based on an 8+8+6 gong pattern that repeats three times. Cello, clarinet and the entire gamelan enter after a note played by the ugal. Here the composer begins his exploration of timbres with all of the instruments apart from the voice. In terms of Balinese gamelan harmonic “rules”, the combination of pitches resembling D3, F3#, C4#, played by the clarinet, cello, and reyong respectively, sound strange but blend beautifully. The reyong then plays an 11-beat (3+3+3+1+1) melodic cycle that seems to support the sparser melodic lines of the clarinet and voice. At moments these three timbres meet sounding either the Balinese ngempat harmony (G# and C#) or minor C# chord. In addition to the timbral explorations mentioned above, the composer also makes use of Balinese music concepts including oncang–oncangan, kotekan nyogcag, and modulation from selisir (C# D E G# A B) to selendro (C# E F# A B) mode. Empunya is a work that needs multiple careful listenings to reveal its many layers of complexity.
Nunas Taksu [Rosemainy]
Nunas Taksu narrates the action of praying for taksu (charisma often related to performance or other important activities). In this piece, a listener, particularly one familiar with ritual life on Bali, can imagine the unfolding of events during the activity of praying at a temple. A meditative feeling is created through a careful selection of timbral combinations. The reyong plays a slow sparse rhythmic pattern similar to that heard in Japanese Noh using two pitches that function like the ketuk kempyang in traditional Javanese gamelan. A Javanese-like gong pattern plays in the background contributing to this overall feeling of calm and quiet in preparation for prayer. The composer selects jegogan and calung pitches that combine together with the gongs to create a “shuddering” effect — seeming to reflect the progression of events as one attempts to connect with the other world. In the middle section of the piece, a conversation-like interaction occurs between the kendang and cello. Shortly after, beautiful melodic singing fills the space with happiness—this climactic moment is the most memorable part of the piece. In the final moments, an electronic sound effect is heard. This stark sonic contrast seems unrelated to the rest of the piece; however, it is bridged and unified by a solo male voice. In this work the composer experiments with multiple timbres and for the most part beautifully blends Javanese-like sonorities with unique vibrato created by a particular selection of pitches played on the cello and gamelan instruments.
Song for… [Rosemainy]
I Dewa Made Suparta
Listen to Nunas Taksu here:
You can learn more about Gamelan Singamurti and Gamelan Asmaradana here: