DOCSLIB.ORG

The Hammer Is the Teacher: Taking World Music Instruction to a Higher Level As Experienced Through Balinese Gamelan

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Hammer Is the Teacher: Taking World Music Instruction to a Higher Level As Experienced Through Balinese Gamelan Music Education Research International, Volume 2, 2008 The Hammer is the Teacher: Taking World Music Instruction to a Higher Level as Experienced through Balinese Gamelan John Eros University of Michigan—Ann Arbor, U.S.A. Abstract Music education has been pushed World music has become a source of past the traditional boundaries of the significant interest among music educators, Western canon for decades. “World music” as musics from non-Western cultures can be has become commonplace in both journals, sources of powerful musical experiences in as evidenced by Volk’s 1993 review of 25 terms of performance, cultural knowledge, years’ writings, and conferences (Volk, and reevaluation of musical perceptions 1993), such as the MENC Multicultural based on Western models. The purpose of Symposium in 1990. The fact that we this paper was to describe my brief but require knowledge of a broad scope of intense experience with one particular non- musical genres for both our students and our Western musical genre: Balinese gamelan. growth as musicians is generally accepted. Research questions were (a) what was the However, it also behooves us to examine experience of a Western musician studying both the process in which we acquire this and performing Balinese gamelan music? knowledge and the process by which we and (b) how could Balinese gamelan and develop our students’ awareness. other world musics be taught effectively? We are aware that a vast body of The research was conducted during an music exists in our world. We have institute that included the performance, knowledge of the cultures in which the history, and theory of the Balinese gamelan, music originated, the musical instruments, performed on an authentic gamelan gong and basic information on many of the kebyar, and conducted at a conservatory in musical genres and styles. It is time for us to the northeastern United States. The study dig deeper into these other musics. followed a qualitative case study design Numerous articles discuss world musics, but using reflexive ethnography, with data being in many cases the articles address a number collected in the form of researcher journals, of musics in general (Bieber, 1999; field notes, and participant interviews. Goodkin, 1994) rather than examining one Findings indicated that (a) to make world particular music in depth. We need to be music instruction as powerful as possible, wary of what Campbell (2002) calls the authentic instruments and teaching practices “practice of musical tourism (the whirlwind should be used, (b) the teacher-student tour of songs of many lands) [which] may relationship and learning process are breed more of an exposure than an perceived differently by Balinese and educational outcome” (p. 31). For that Western musicians, and (c) music educators reason I have chosen to study only one should pursue familiarity with both Western world music, Balinese gamelan, with the and non-Western pedagogies when teaching objective of pursuing deeper insight than world musics. that offered by single articles or chapters. This paper is not a call for the inclusion of world music in American music 1 Music Education Research International, Volume 2, 2008 education as that topic has already been Research Questions convincingly argued (Fung, 1995). Rather, Research questions for this study this paper is an examination of the were: (a) What was the experience of a experience of learning one particular world Western musician studying and performing music and how educators might go about Balinese gamelan music? and (b) How could building understanding of both their students Balinese gamelan and other world musics be and themselves. taught effectively? What Is a Gamelan? Method and Data A gamelan is not an individual This study followed a qualitative instrument but a group of instruments. case study design, using reflexive Shamrock and Wenten (2000) define ethnography (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000) and “gamelan” as: informal conversational interviewing (Patton, 2002). Denzin and Lincoln (2000) An ensemble or orchestra including define reflexive ethnography as research in sections of instruments comprised of 1) which: various sizes and models of barred percussion instruments, with heavy bars The researcher’s personal experience made of bronze; 2) heavy bronze pots becomes important primarily in how it resting, opening side down, on racks illuminates the culture under study. made from cords; 3) heavy bronze gongs Reflexive ethnographies range along a of various sizes, from small to very continuum from starting research from large; and 4) miscellaneous others, one’s own experience to ethnographies including individual percussion, bowed where the researcher’s experience is and plucked strings, and flutes. (p. 186) actually studied along with other participants. (p. 740) Gamelans can be found in several places in Indonesia but the most well known Data for this study was collected in exist on the islands of Bali and Java. three forms: researcher journal reflections, Gamelans have been established in a number field notes taken during the institute, and of countries around the world, including 168 interviews with other institute participants. known gamelans present in the United States The interviews were audio-recorded and (American Gamelan Institute, n.d.). coded by the researcher. The three data sets Although the instruments are similar constitute methods triangulation (Patton, in Balinese and Javanese gamelans, the 2002). styles of music and performance practices I kept a journal throughout the differ (see Goldworthy, 1997 for a institute, as well as making field notes discussion of Javanese gamelan). One during sessions. I conducted three interviews particular identifying feature of Balinese during the institute, one with each teacher gamelan, which will be discussed several (Chris and Wayan) and one with another times in this paper, is the kotekan, the term workshop participant (Judith). I felt for interlocking rhythmic and melodic important to examine data from both a patterns performed by multiple musicians Balinese master teacher (Wayan) with both instrumentally and vocally. lifelong gamelan experience and an American teacher (Chris) with several years’ experience performing and teaching 2 Music Education Research International, Volume 2, 2008 Balinese gamelan, as this would yield Chris (American teacher) deeper insight into teaching practice and Chris had begun playing in gamelans underlying philosophy. I also felt it at the age of ten, had been to Bali several important to gather data from a participant times for a total of eight months, and had in the institute (Judith) who was a musician taught gamelan in a variety of settings in the yet had no previous gamelan performance United States, including university, youth, experience, as many current and preservice and community-based settings. In addition music educators will fit into this category. to Indonesian music, Chris was a conductor and vocalist. Chris had been teaching Research Participants gamelan at the workshop’s university since The participants in this study 1997. consisted of two instructors, another workshop participant, and myself. Other Wayan (Balinese master teacher) than the researcher, pseudonyms are used Wayan had begun his gamelan throughout to protect the identity of the training at the age of seven at the participants. Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Bali, after being inspired to study gamelan John (the researcher) by the local gamelan of his native village. Although my current study focuses He had been teaching Balinese gamelan in on Balinese gamelan, my gamelan the United States for 15 years, beginning at performance experience includes both the Indonesian Consulate in a large city and Javanese and Balinese ensembles. I have expanding to include several universities. In played in gamelan for one and a half years, addition to teaching, Wayan was also a and I have not been to Indonesia. While composer, dancer, puppeteer, and such a brief time might at first seem to be a choreographer. mark against my right to speak on the topic of gamelan in music education, I would Judith (institute participant) argue that it puts me in a situation The workshop was Judith’s first comparable with many educators. I have encounter with gamelan performance. experienced gamelan performance, but I Although she made her living as a librarian, have not been playing for such a lengthy Judith had substantial Western musical period of time that it would be difficult to experience, having played piano since relate to those new to Balinese gamelan. childhood and also currently playing My performing experience occurred keyboard instruments in early music while in graduate school for both my ensembles. I felt that Judith’s observations masters and doctoral degrees and augmented would provide insight into the perspective of by workshops. I was fortunate to attend a Western musician experiencing Balinese universities with gamelans and to have the gamelan for the first time, which would in opportunity to perform in them. Although turn be valuable for music educators who the numbers are rising, many schools of themselves have no prior gamelan music do not have gamelans, meaning that if performance experience. a currently practicing educator did not perform in a gamelan during graduate or Analysis undergraduate school, their opportunities to Journal entries, field notes, and learn gamelan will necessarily be limited to interview tapes were coded and categorized workshops and summer
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Innovative Approaches to Melodic Elaboration in Contemporary Tabuh Kreasibaru
    INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO MELODIC ELABORATION IN CONTEMPORARY TABUH KREASIBARU by PETER MICHAEL STEELE B.A., Pitzer College, 2003 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Music) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA August 2007 © Peter Michael Steele, 2007 ABSTRACT The following thesis has two goals. The first is to present a comparison of recent theories of Balinese music, specifically with regard to techniques of melodic elaboration. By comparing the work of Wayan Rai, Made Bandem, Wayne Vitale, and Michael Tenzer, I will investigate how various scholars choose to conceptualize melodic elaboration in modern genres of Balinese gamelan. The second goal is to illustrate the varying degrees to which contemporary composers in the form known as Tabuh Kreasi are expanding this musical vocabulary. In particular I will examine their innovative approaches to melodic elaboration. Analysis of several examples will illustrate how some composers utilize and distort standard compositional techniques in an effort to challenge listeners' expectations while still adhering to indigenous concepts of balance and flow. The discussion is preceded by a critical reevaluation of the function and application of the western musicological terms polyphony and heterophony. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ii Table of Contents : iii List of Tables .... '. iv List of Figures ' v Acknowledgements vi CHAPTER 1 Introduction and Methodology • • • • • :•-1 Background : 1 Analysis: Some Recent Thoughts 4 CHAPTER 2 Many or just Different?: A Lesson in Categorical Cacophony 11 Polyphony Now and Then 12 Heterophony... what is it, exactly? 17 CHAPTER 3 Historical and Theoretical Contexts 20 Introduction 20 Melodic Elaboration in History, Theory and Process ..' 22 Abstraction and Elaboration 32 Elaboration Types 36 Constructing Elaborations 44 Issues of "Feeling".
    [Show full text]
  • American Gamelan, Past and Present, With
    AMERICAN GAMELAN, PAST AND PRESENT Cornish Presents: NEXT ON CORNISH PRESENTS THANKS AMERICAN GAMELAN, NoiseFold Special thanks to the Cornish Presents season Friday, December 12 at 8 pm sponsor Washington State Arts Commission. Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center PAST AND PRESENT NoiseFold is the collective identity of David Stout and Cory Metcalf, artists working at the Sunday, December 7, 2014 digital nexus of cinema, music and visual arts. Co-presented with The Institute of Emergent Technology + Intermedia (iET+I), the evening GAMELAN PACIFICA opens with a performance by CLEE (Cornish Live special guest composer DANIEL SCHMIDT Electronic Ensemble) . vocalist JESSIKA KENNEY Tickets: $10 GA, free for students directed by JARRAD POWELL PROGRAM Gendhing bonang TUKUNG kethuk 4 kerep minggah 8, laras pélog pathet barang As Evening Falls D. Schmidt The Edge of Sleep D. Schmidt -intermission- A Tuesday Morning S. Parris Ketawang gendhing KABOR kethuk 2 kerep minggah ladrang KRAWITAN, laras sléndro pathet nem Gendhing Lou Harrison D. Schmidt Stay Connected! Please be respectful of our performers and your fellow audience members by turning off your cell phones before the www.cornish.edu/presents performance begins. Facebook: Cornish Presents Video and audio recording are not permitted in PONCHO Concert Hall. Twitter: @CornishPresents BIOS CONTINUED PROGRAM NOTES Music Concern, including Non Grata, Special GAMELAN PACIFICA MEMBERS As Evening Falls Like in As Evening Falls, the text is presented O.P.S., and the Raymond Scott Project. He is The opening, called a pathetan, is played by again, but in a shortened form, and in a very currently working towards a Masters degree at Jackie An just two players.
    [Show full text]
  • Temu Wicara Bali: a Celebration of Balinese Performing Arts in Honor of the Twentieth Anniversary of Gamelan at Colorado College
    The Colorado College Music Department presents Temu Wicara Bali: A Celebration of Balinese Performing Arts in honor of the twentieth anniversary of Gamelan at Colorado College featuring Gamelan Tunjung Sari and Gamelan Santi Suara (Colorado College) Gamelan Candra Wyoga (University of Wyoming) Gamelan Genta Kencana (University of Colorado at Boulder) Gamelan Krama Bali (Balinese Community) Gamelan Manik Kusuma (Metropolitan State University of Denver) Gamelan Tunas Mekar (Denver) The Bowed Piano Ensemble (Colorado College) I Made Lasmawan and Victoria Lindsay Levine, Directors Ni Ketut Marni, Director of Dance May 4, 2013 Packard Hall ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For their good work in helping to produce this event, we thank: Stormy Burns, Cathe Bailie, and Neil Hesse from the Colorado College Music Department Jennifer Kulier and Leslie Weddell from Colorado College Communications Dan Wiencek, Colorado College Information Management Bob Winkelblech and Nolan Keale, Colorado College Facilities Services Mary Ellen Davis, Noel Black, and Delaney Utterbeck from KRCC Radio Bon Appétit Catering Our celebration was made possible by generous funding from the following sponsors: Colorado College Asian Studies Program Colorado College Music Department Colorado College Theatre and Dance Department Colorado College Cultural Attractions Colorado College President’s Office The Christine S. Johnson Professorship The National Endowment for the Humanities Professorship The Colorado Springs Independent The College of Music, University of Colorado at Boulder The Indonesian performing arts program at Colorado College was founded in 1992 by Professor Victoria Lindsay Levine, who imported the gamelan angklung and gamelan gender wayang from Bali with funds from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professorship and the departments of Music and Asian Studies.
    [Show full text]
  • Cross-Cultural Hybridity in Music Composition: Southeast Asia in Three Works from America Written 1998, Unpublished Christopher Adler
    Cross-cultural hybridity in music composition: Southeast Asia in three works from America written 1998, unpublished Christopher Adler The act of composing is an engagement with hybridity. Every composer must mediate between the diverse influences, intentions, theories, and emotions impinging upon the compositional moment. For some composers these mediations may be relegated to the subconscious, for some they may be considerations of fine distinctions that come into play only at the level of detail. The compositions discussed in this article, Spiral, by Chinary Ung, Banyuari, by Michael Tenzer, and Aneh Tapi Nyata, by Evan Ziporyn, inhabit different hybrid realms between multiple categories of music, including: Euro-American contemporary concert music, popular musics, Balinese gamelan, Khmer classical music, and beyond, and as a result illustrate very different approaches to musical hybridization. The hybridity of these works is foregrounded by the composers’ decisions to compose between prior musical categories. The intentional, self-conscious cross-cultural hybrid has a long history within the Euro-American classical tradition, with such composers as Olivier Messiaen, John Cage, Colin McPhee and Lou Harrison, to name a few from this century. The intentional cross- cultural hybrid takes on an increasing significance in Euro-American contemporary music in this postmodern era of rapidly globalizing artistic, culture and commodity flows, where many composers are exposed to musicians, artists, recordings and ethnomusicological documentation of musics from the most distant corners of the world. While hybridity may be fundamental to musics everywhere, this exposure to global diversity is often dependent upon conditions of power and privilege which favor musicians of the urban centers of 2 the West and around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Harrison, Lou (1917-2003) by John Louis Digaetani
    Harrison, Lou (1917-2003) by John Louis DiGaetani Encyclopedia Copyright © 2015, glbtq, Inc. Entry Copyright © 2002, glbtq, Inc. Reprinted from http://www.glbtq.com American composer Lou Harrison enjoyed a long and distinguished career. He is particularly well known for his use of instruments from the East, especially the Javanese gamelan, and for his melodic and lyrical musical style, despite the fact that he studied composition in the atonal musical style of Arnold Schoenberg. One of America's most original and articulate composers, Harrison explored a number of interests, including puppetry, Esperanto, tuning systems, the construction of musical instruments, and dance. He was also actively involved in political causes, especially pacifism and gay rights. He was born Lou Silver Harrison in Portland, Oregon, on May 14, 1917, but his family moved to the San Francisco Bay area when he was a child, and he lived most of his life on the West Coast of the United States. As a child he was exposed to a wide range of music, including Cantonese operas, Gregorian chants, and Spanish and Mexican music. Harrison attended San Francisco State University, where he decided on music as his major and his life's work. He studied there with Henry Cowell and quickly became fascinated with melody and its powers, particularly in the music of the Orient. He also developed an interest in the works of American composer Charles Ives, some of whose musical manuscripts he later edited. Among Harrison's early compostions is a large body of percussion music that reveals Western, Asian, African, and Latin American rhythmic influences.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gamelan Experience Postclassical Ensemble
    fusioncultural THE GAMELAN EXPERIENCE POSTCLASSICAL ENSEMBLE AT WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL JANUARY 23, 2019 • 7:30 PM Tonight’s performance is presented in partnership with Ambassador Budi Bowoleksono and the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia. Underwriting is provided by The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Bloomberg Phanthropics and Freeport-McMoRan. fusioncultural THE GAMELAN EXPERIENCE POSTCLASSICAL ENSEMBLE AT WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL JANUARY 23, 2019 • 7:30 PM BENJAMIN PASTERNACK & WAN-CHI SU, piano NETANEL DRAIBLATE violin THE INDONESIAN EMBASSY JAVANESE GAMELAN, PAK MURYANTO, director THE INDONESIAN EMBASSY BALINESE GAMELAN, I. NYOMAN SUADIN, director PostClassical Ensemble conducted by ANGEL GIL-ORDÓÑEZ hosted & produced by JOSEPH HOROWITZ additional commentary INDONESIAN AMBASSADOR BUDI BOWOLEKSONO GAMELAN SCHOLAR BILL ALVES PROGRAM Javanese Gamelan: Sesonderan; Peacock Dance Claude Debussy: Pagodes (1903) Wan-Chi Su Maurice Ravel: La vallée des cloches (1905) Benjamin Pasternack Balinese Gamelan: Taboeh teloe Colin McPhee: Balinese Ceremonial Music for two pianos (1938) Taboeh teloe Pemoengkah Olivier Messiaen: Visions de l’Amen, movement one (1943) Amen de la Création Francis Poulenc: Sonata for Two Pianos, movement one (1953) Prologue: Extrêmement lent et calme Bill Alves: Black Toccata (2007; D.C. premiere) Wan-Chi Su & Benjamin Pasternack Intermission performance: Balinese Gamelan with Dancers Puspanjali Topeng Tua (composed by I. Nyoman Windha) Margapati (depicting
    [Show full text]
  • Community Gamelan in America: Identifying Best Practices in Ensemble Management
    Community Gamelan in America: Identifying Best Practices in Ensemble Management © 2017 Arts Indonesia - Gamelan Dharma Swara This research is supported in part by a grant from the Paul R. Judy Center for Applied Research at the Eastman School of Music Table Of Contents I. Introduction II. Methodology III. Articulation Of Challenges IV. Best Practices V. Recommendations VI. Conclusion VII. Acknowledgements Appendix A: Ensemble Profiles 1. Gamelan Dharma Swara 2. Gamelan Son of Lion 3. Gamelan Sekar Jaya 4. Gamelan Galak Tika 5. Portland Taiko 6. Calpulli Mexican Dance Company 7. Lightbulb Ensemble Appendix B: Gamelan Dharma Swara Vision Statement 1 I. INTRODUCTION The shimmering tones and dense textures of gamelan – the percussive ensembles of metallophones, drums, and gongs found in various forms across Indonesia – have long excited and influenced innovative Western composers, from Debussy and Bartok to Glass, Cage, and Reich. Gamelan’s influence can also be heard in modern electronic and pop music: Bjork commissioned the building of the gameleste, a hybrid between a celesta and a gamelan; and Beck invited Burat Wangi, a gamelan ensemble based at the California Institute of the Arts, to participate in his live version of David Bowie's Sound and Vision. The sounds of gamelan have never been more readily accessible to global listeners as they are today, and while gamelan maintains a vibrant standing in its original context, a strong culture of gamelan has proliferated outside the Indonesian archipelago. In the United States roughly 150
    [Show full text]
  • Lou Harrison Centennial EVA SOLTES EVA
    Please turn off all electronic Photography and audio/video recording devices before entering the in the performance hall are prohibited. performance hall. Lou Harrison Centennial EVA SOLTES EVA DEPARTMENT OF These performances are made possible in part by: PERFORMING ARTS, MUSIC, The P. J. McMyler Musical Endowment Fund AND FILM The Ernest L. and Louise M. Gartner Fund The Cleveland Museum of Art The Anton and Rose Zverina Music Fund 11150 East Boulevard The Frank and Margaret Hyncik Memorial Fund Cleveland, Ohio 44106–1797 The Adolph Benedict and Ila Roberts Schneider Fund The Arthur, Asenath, and Walter H. Blodgett Memorial Fund [email protected] The Dorothy Humel Hovorka Endowment Fund cma.org/performingarts The Albertha T. Jennings Musical Arts Fund #CMAperformingarts Programs are subject to change. Series sponsors: Friday, October 20, 2017 TICKETS 1–888–CMA–0033 cma.org/performingarts Welcome to the PerformingLou Harrison Arts 2017–18 Centennial Cleveland Museum of Art Friday, October 20, 2017, 7:30 p.m. cma.org/performingartsGartner Auditorium, the Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art’s performing arts series #CMAperformingarts offers a fascinating concert calendar notable for its boundless multiplicity. This year, visits from old friends Chamber Music in the Galleries CIM Organ Studio Wednesday, October 4, 6:00 Sunday, March 11, 2:00 and new bring century-spanning music from around the Mr. Harrison’s Gamelans globe, exploring cultural connections that link the human Butler, Bernstein & the Hot 9 Wu Man & heart and spirit. Wednesday, October 11, 7:30 Huayin Shadow Puppet Band Suite for Violin and Wednesday,Lou Harrison March 21, (1917–2003) 7:30 Lou Harrison Centennial American Gamelan (1973) & Richard Dee In the Galleries Friday, October 20, 7:30 Chamber Music in the Galleries 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Gamelan Gong Kebyar: a Traditional Balinese Music
    UNIVERZITA PALACKÉHO V OLOMOUCI FILOZOFICKÁ FAKULTA Katedra muzikologie GAMELAN GONG KEBYAR: A TRADITIONAL BALINESE MUSIC THE BACHELOR DIPLOMA THESIS Gamelan Gong Kebyar: tradi ční balijská hudba Bakalá řská diplomová práce Kate řina Nová The leader of the thesis: Ph.D. Greg Hurworth Olomouc 2008 6 Index 1. Chapter One: The Introduction to the Project ………………………………….. 4 2. Chapter Two: Background to Bali: 2.1 Geography ……………………………………………………………..11 2.2 Economy …………………………………………………………..…12 2.3 History ………………………………………………………………..12 2.4 Culture and Arts : ……………………………………………………15 2.4.1 Society …………………………………………………………....15 2.4.2 Religion …………………………………………………………..16 2.4.3 Arts ……………………………………………………………….16 3. Chapter Three: Music in Bali: 3.1 Balinese Tuning Systems ………………………………………….22 3.2 The Balinese Tonal System ……………………………………….23 3.3 Notation of Balinese Music ……………………….........................24 3.4 Musical Instruments ………………………………………………...25 3.5 The History and Development of Balinese Gamelans ………..25 3.5.1 Gamelan tua group ………………………………………………26 3.5.2 Gamelan madya group ………………………………………… 29 3.5.3 Gamelan baru group ……….………………….………… ..……..32 4. Chapter Four: Gamelan Gong Kebyar 4.1 General Characteristic ……………………………………………35 7 4.2 History of Gamelan Gong Kebyar …………...…………………36 4.3 Musical Instruments: …………………………………...................40 3.4.1 Idiophones ………………………………………………………40 3.4.2 Aerophones ……………………………………………………..45 3.4.3 Chordophones …………………………………………………..46 3.4.4 Metalophones …………………………………………………...47 4.4 What Is a Structure of Balinese Gamelan
    [Show full text]
  • LOU HARRISON: LA KORO SUTRO SUITE for VIOLIN with AMERICAN GAMELAN LOU HARRISON 1917–2003 SUITE for VIOLIN with AMERICAN GAMELAN (1974) Gabriela Diaz, Violin [1] I
    LOU HARRISON: LA KORO SUTRO SUITE FOR VIOLIN WITH AMERICAN GAMELAN SUITE FOR VIOLIN WITH AMERICAN GAMELAN (1974) LOU HARRISON 1917–2003 Gabriela Diaz, violin [1] I. Threnody 6:30 SUITE FOR VIOLIN WITH AMERICAN GAMELAN [2] II. Estampie 5:17 [3] III. Air 3:30 composed with Richard Dee (b. 1936) [4] IV. Jahla 1 2:32 [5] Jahla 2 1:34 LA KORO SUTRO [6] Jahla 3 1:59 [7] V. Chaconne 4:59 LA KORO SUTRO (1971) GABRIELA DIAZ violin Providence Singers PROVIDENCE SINGERS [8] Kunsonoro kaj Gloro (Chime and Glory) 2:06 ANDREW CLARK, DIRECTOR [9] 1a Paragrafo 4:05 [10] 2a Paragrafo 3:24 [11] 3a Paragrafo 1:28 [12] 4a Paragrafo 4:11 BOSTON MODERN ORCHESTRA PROJECT [13] 5a Paragrafo 3:43 GIL ROSE, CONDUCTOR [14] 6a Paragrafo 2:40 [15] 7a Paragrafo 2:09 [16] Mantro kaj Kunsonoro (Mantram and Chime) 2:52 TOTAL 52.59 COMMENT enough to know just European tradition, or those raised in that tradition, or the Japanese tradition, or whatever. And I think that’s very good advice. JLA: Certainly a uniquely 20th-century perspective. LH: Well, to a degree. One does remember, of course, that there were exchanges between the Ottoman Empire and Europeans. After all, they told the people that Mozart wrote Lou Harrison in conversation with John Luther Adams, 1999 Turkish marches. Why? Because the advanced part of the Ottoman Empire was at the John Luther Adams: We’re in a time of extremely rapid change and growth in music, and gates of Vienna. I remember you once observed that all good things must come to an end… even the 20th century.
    [Show full text]
  • Lou Harrison's
    i ABSTRACT Lou Harrison’s “Old Granddad”: A Composer’s Guide by Brady J. Spitz American composer Lou Harrison was known for his activity in blending the music of the world’s cultures and, later in life, building instruments. An example of this is the creation of his “American Gamelan” in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He and William Colvig created a set of tuned pipes and aluminum slabs that were fixed to a single key; and, because the instruments were highly resonant metallophones, they became known as the “American Gamelan” (even though Harrison’s own compositional practice with them bore little resemblance to the music of Indonesia at this point). The music of these instruments (which came to be known at “Old Granddad”) are a truly significant achievement in the history of Western music. The first three chapters of this document include a history of the Old Granddad instruments, technical diagrams and descriptions, and a discussion of their tuning. Their purpose is to help future musicians build a replica. The following three chapters analyze Harrison’s three major works for Old Granddad: the opera Young Caesar (1971); the oratorio La Koro Sutro (1972); and the Suite for Violin and American Gamelan (1974). Their purpose is to provide a model for composers who wish to write more works for the instrument. A synthesis of this historical, technical, and theoretical information offers practical details that may be of use to future ii composers. The document concludes with Laurel—a commissioned piece by Shane Monds that tests the conclusions of my research.
    [Show full text]
  • Singa Nebah: Adapting a Javanese Gamelan Composition for a Western Percussion Ensemble
    Singa Nebah: Adapting a Javanese Gamelan Composition for a Western Percussion Ensemble Brian C.W. Pfeifer A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts University of Washington 2014 Reading Committee: Thomas Collier, Chair Michael Crusoe Lawrence Starr Program Authorized to Offer Degree: School of Music ©Copyright 2014 Brian C.W. Pfeifer University of Washington Abstract Singa Nebah: Adapting a Javanese Gamelan composition for a Western Percussion Ensemble Brian C.W. Pfeifer Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Thomas Collier, Director of Percussion Studies School of Music It has become increasingly common for Western musicians to arrange and adapt music of other cultures for their ensembles. This is especially true for the percussion ensemble where Afro- Cuban, Brazilian, Indian, and other traditions are well represented. Many of these styles of music are well suited to performance by a Western ensemble due to their heavy reliance on drumming and their shared scale systems. The music of Java, specifically the gamelan however, has not seen the same amount of interest. Many students are exposed to Javanese music through college or high school music classes, but they are usually limited to listening to recordings as most institutions do not have the resources to own a gamelan. The purpose of this study is to create a framework for the composer who wishes to arrange gamelan music for Western percussion instruments. Discussed within are issues such as: instrument selection, tuning, improvisation, and authenticity. These questions are approached carefully so as to represent the original source as accurately and authentically as possible.
    [Show full text]