The Republic of Indonesia is an archipelago located in southeastern Asia, between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Border countries: Timor-Leste, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea.
Indonesian Musical Genres
Gamelan is a Javanese/Indonesian word for ensemble or orchestra. Traditionally, the Javanese gamelan was the basis of all Javanese performing arts: its music was essential to dance and theater everywhere, from the humblest village to the imposing, marble-floored pavilions of the royal courts. Most of the instruments are made from cast bronze, and are either metallophones or hanging gongs (gong, kempul) and racked gongs (bonang, kenong), which look like small gongs lying on their backs.
Although Western-style popular music is encroaching substantially on its domain, the gamelan can still be heard at wedding ceremonies, circumcisions, village cleansings, and accompanying the all-night shadow play. Gamelan music exists in many regional styles. (Source: Gamelan Kusuma Laras)
Indonesian Musicians
Heni Savitri
I.M. Harjito
Krakatau
Midiyanto
Sambasunda
Saratus Persen
Indonesian Recordings:
Bali: Gamelan Semar Pegulingan
Bali: Music for the Shadow Play
Java: Court Gamelan (1971)
Java: Court Gamelan, Volume II (1977)
Java: Court Gamelan, Volume III (1979)
