Gamelan - Kyai Tatit Ratri
A gamelan is an orchestra of tuned metal percussion instruments characteristic of Java, Bali, Malaysia and other island cultures off the coast of Southeast Asia. Each gamelan has its own name, its own tuning system, and its own distinctive "personality." Our gamelan's name means "Venerable Night Lightning," reflecting its original purpose: it was built in 1984 for use at KUSC, the campus radio station of the University of Santa Cruz in California. The gongs and keys were made in Jogjakarta (Central Java) but the stands and resonators were made by its California owner. It is not as decorative as a traditional gamelan, since radio is an aural rather than a visual experience. In residence at Western Carolina University since March 1999, Gamelan Kyai Tatit Ratri is one of about 150 gamelans in the United States. There are only a handful of other ones in the Southeast (in Georgia, Florida, Virginia, and West Virginia).
Sundanese Gamelan Degung
The Sundanese gamelan degung is a small gamelan with a gapped 5-tone scale and its own unique playing style. Compositions for gamelan degung can be repeated to create very long cycles, and the internal structure of the music is much more complex. As you will hear, repetition and recurrence of particular phrases occurs both within a piece and between pieces in the repertory. Although increasing in popularity, the gamelan degung is still quite rare in North America.
The instruments of the gamelan degung are listed below:
Bonang: one 3-octave set of pot-shaped gongs used to play elaborations of melody
Gambang: 3-octave xylophone used to play melodic elaborations
Gong Ageng: large hanging gong used to mark end of cycles
Jenglong: set of 6 hanging gongs used to outline the "nuclear melody" (balungan)
Kendang and ketipung: pair of double-headed drums used to keep time
Saron: two 2½-octave metallophones used for melodic elaborations
Suling: small bamboo flute used to ornament melody or create countermelody