Tabuh Tari Saraswati [4K] - Musik bagi Sang Dewi oleh Sanggar LKB Saraswati, Jakarta

The Magic of Bronze Sound More than 400 years ago, Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi staged his opera, L'Orfeo. The performance in Mantua in 1607 was unique. To accompany the musical drama, he assembled 40 musicians. They played violin, cello, recorder, trombone, hapsicord, organ, and more. This ensemble, which brought together various instrument families to play a single musical composition, marked the beginning of what we know today as the Western symphony orchestra. Monteverdi was not the first to do so. Around 800 years before him, the people of Java were already familiar with orchestras. The Borobudur Temple, built in the 9th century, bears witness to this. The temple's reliefs depicting the story of the Divyavadana, depict 226 musical instruments. Many of the relief frames depict dozens of musicians playing various instruments together. These musical instrument reliefs are recognizable as percussion instruments, namely gongs, flat-bladed instruments that can be struck (xylophones). The instruments could be made of stone, wood, or metal. Many also include strings, drums, and wind instruments. The existence of such ensembles is enduring, documented in reliefs on temples built after Borobudur, such as Prambanan (9th century), Panataran (12th century), and Ngrimbi (14th century), as well as on temples in Bali, and in various inscriptions and ancient manuscripts from Java and Bali. There appears to be no radical change in these surviving ensembles of various musical instrument families. Of course, evolution occurs, as does the musical genres played. The most monumental "new" genre of the Indonesian gamelan orchestra was the birth of Gong Kebyar in North Bali in the early 20th century (for more information about Gong Kebyar, please read the description in the Kebyar Jaya Semara video on this channel    • Kebyar Jaya Semara [4k] – Baroque music of...   ). Today, the indigenous music of the Indonesian archipelago is known internationally as the gong-genta (gong-chime) music culture. In addition to the string, wind, and drum (membranophone) families, metal instruments (iron, brass, and especially bronze) are the star and soul of the gamelan ensemble. Various "tungguhan" (musical instruments), kettle gongs (musical instruments), and rows of struck metal bars, such as genders and bronze "gansa" (metallophones), dominate the sound of a gamelan orchestra. Balinese gamelan also adds to this distinctive character with the presence of various forms of cymbals: "ceng-ceng." In terms of the number of musicians, a gamelan orchestra is no less lively than a Western symphony orchestra, which can have up to 90 members. Javanese gamelan has been recorded as having up to 75 musicians. The sekaha gong kebyar (or "gong kebyar"), which performs at the annual Bali Arts Festival, often includes around 40 musicians. The distinctive, magical sound of gamelan not only captivates the people of the Indonesian archipelago. Even Western classical composer Claude Debussy was bewitched by it. In 1889, a Javanese gamelan orchestra performed at the Brand Universal Exhibition in Paris. Debussy attended. The pentatonic melody also inspired Debussy in his compositions: Pagodes, Voiles, and La Mer. Dance composer: NLN Swasthi Wijaya Bandem Percussion composer: I Nyoman Windha Students: Javas, Ni Putu Gita Gayatri, Putu Pradnya Sahadewi, Gusti Ayu Renata, Hillary Kenindra Nareswari, Berlianar Finda Aufaa L, Anak Agung Priska Vania D, Ayu Made Malika Sasikirana, Komang Radha Chandani, Gusti Ayu Kirana Putri Saraswati, Ni Nyoman Cahyani Indrasari. Percussion teacher: I Ketut Budiyasa (drum) Event: Saraswati Musical Institute's Performance Test. Venue: Taman Ismail Marzuki Small Theater, Jakarta, October 19, 2025. References Santosa, Hendra (2020). Evolusi Gamelan Bali. Denpasar: Pusat Penerbitan LP2MPP Institut Seni Indonesia Denpasar. Suryanto, Hari. Sound of Borobudur (Instrumen Musik Leluhur yang Terpahat Pada Relief Candi). Proceeding.ikj.co.id Sadie, Stanley (ed.2000). The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Classical Music. New York: Billboard Books. Kennedy, Michael (1996). Dictionary of Music. Kent: Grange Books. #balinesedance #balinesemusic #gamelan #indonesianculture #orchestra