Experiencing Gamelan and Exploring the Correlation Between Cultural Identity and the Conservation and Development of Traditional Music
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Experiencing gamelan and exploring the correlation between cultural identity and the conservation and development of traditional music Ge Wu MA by Research University of York Music December 2015 Abstract Javanese gamelan is not only music of the past that has a profound status in Javanese society, but also a music that witnessed and experienced domestic cultural change and western cultural permeation. As a traditional music, today's gamelan retains its significant status and successfully unfolds various cultural activities and cultural communications. The development of gamelan in the contemporary era is of great significance. It is the abundance of gamelan activities and surrounding musical ambiance that construct people's cultural awareness and cultural identity; conversely, the construction of cultural awareness and identity promotes the inheritance and development of gamelan in the contemporary era. This thesis analyses the reciprocity between gamelan and identity, and takes another traditional music, Sayerho, from China as a case study to explore how the absence of identity may hinder the development of traditional music. 2 Table of contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................2 Table of contents.......................................................................................................3 List of figures............................................................................................................5 Acknowledgements...................................................................................................6 Author’s declaration................................................................................................7 1 Introduction...........................................................................................................8 1.1 Aim of research and its significance.................................................................8 1.2 Basic concepts.................................................................................................16 1.3 Research methods............................................................................................20 1.4 Literature review..............................................................................................21 2 The construction of cultural identity in gamelan inheritance...........................31 2.1 Cultural inheritance...........................................................................................31 2.1.1 Implicit cultural identity constructed through folk inheritance...............38 2.1.1.1 Individuals’ cultural identities constructed in the traditional master-and-apprentice pattern and within the family.................................................38 2.1.1.2 Enculturation – The construction of collective identity in folk activity........................................................................................................................45 2.1.1.3 Let the music speak – Gamelan in the field...................................49 2.1.1.4 Constructing identity in gamelan as an artistic performance.........55 2.1.2 Explicit cultural identity constructed through the education system... ...................................................................................................................................61 3 Cultural presenters – Identity through otherness.............................................77 3.1 Identity as enhancing cultural consciousness..................................................77 3.2 Constructing identity in education..................................................................78 3.2.1 The formation of the questionnaire........................................................78 3.2.1.1 Local students in ISI......................................................................80 3.2.1.2 Achieving identity from the other side – Cultural policy, the Darmasiswa project and foreign students in ISI.........................................................85 3 4 Thoughts on the development of traditional music in China............................88 4.1 From gamelan to sayerho...............................................................................92 4.1.1 The continuity of one’s national music inheritance is the guarantee of a national cultural identity.............................................................................................93 4.1.2 Cultural consciousness as the ultimate power of musical inheritance...................................................................................................................95 4.2 To change or not to change? How does one change? – Thoughts on the inheritance and development of traditional music......................................................100 Conclusion.................................................................................................................103 Appendices................................................................................................................105 I I Proofreading Statement....................................................................................105 II Consent form.......................................................................................................106 III Confirmation of University Ethics approval..................................................108 IV Contents of interview.........................................................................................109 V Questionnaires for Indonesian and international students.............................114 Bibliography..............................................................................................................124 4 List of Figures Figure 1: A Gamelan Class in Ngawi Village.........................................................43 Figure 2: Writing the Notation................................................................................44 Figure 3: Campursari Players.................................................................................51 Figure 4: Electronic Piano Players..........................................................................52 Figure 5: Pendopo.....................................................................................................58 Figure 6: Gamelan Teachers....................................................................................58 Figure 7: A professional pesindhèn group..............................................................59 Figure 8: A Young Dhalang.....................................................................................60 Figure 9: A Notebook of A Pesindhèn....................................................................72 Figure 10: Graduation Ceremony of Students in ISI............................................73 Figure 11: Gamelan Performers..............................................................................74 Figure 12: A Choir....................................................................................................74 Figure 13: An Electronic Piano Player Accompanying the Choir........................75 5 Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to show my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Neil Sorrell for his supports on the amendment of my research proposal. He also gave me helpful guidance during my field research in Indonesia. I also appreciate that every chance to participate in the gamelan workshop at the university of York. Secondly, I would like to thank to all my friends in Ningbo and Surakarta, namely, Professor Hartana, Professor Santosa, Xin, Huang, Li and Bondhan etc.. I cannot finish the research without their support. Thirdly, I especially would like to thank to Ms. Tashan Mehta for her comprehensive proofreading. Finally, I heartily thank my parents for everything. 6 Author's declaration I declare that this thesis is a presentation of original work and I am the sole author. This work has not previously been presented for an award at this, or any other, University. All sources are acknowledged as References. I accept full responsibility for the authorship and standard of the submitted work. 7 Introduction 1.1 Aim of the research and its significance With the rapid development of globalisation, people around the world are on the move. In terms of the ever increasing cultural communication among various people, it is essential to maintain a strong self-awareness and self-identity when confronting 'cultural others'. Traditional music acts as a representation of culture for people who are disrupted by both domestic social changes and the outside world. Traditional music witnesses not only the changing life of people but also the evolution of history, therefore, the high cultural and social value of traditional music should not be overlooked but be cherished by people. More specifically, some traditional musics have been politically protected since 1972, when the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the World Heritage Convention. Due to my passion for traditional music, I began researching traditional forms of music in Hubei province in China in my sophomore year. The current status of traditional music that I observed in Hubei province is under threat. Meanwhile, according to my participation and observation in Java in Indonesia, their traditional music, especially Javanese gamelan, still plays a significant role in their daily life that can be considered as the representation of the cultural