Mar 19, 2016

Part I
Gamelan is a style of traditional music originated in the island of Java in Indonesia and representing part of a larger Southeast Asian "gong-chime culture". Strictly speaking, the term "Gamelan" refers to ensemble of instruments—typically consisting of metallophones and gongs, sometimes augmented with drums, flutes and human voices—but the term is often used to describe the music played by those ensembles as well.

Over time gamelan music evolved into many variations, ranging from exceptionally slow-paced and conservative "royal court" styles to fast-paced and entertainment-oriented "village dance" styles. However, almost all kinds of traditional gamelan performance have three distinct features:

1. They are very, sometimes even extremely long from Western perception (up to six hours of continuous playing without distinguishable breaks between the pieces)
2. The composition serves only as a basis for 'controlled improvisation', this usually taking form of slight variations in ornamentations
3. In a traditional setting, gamelan performance is almost never given for the sake of music in itself. It almost always serves as an accompaniment for a ritual / dance performance / drama / shadow puppet performance.