I NDONESI A I TS L AND, P EOPLES, AND CULTURE

Indonesia is an archipelago in Southeast Asia comprising approximately 17,500 islands. With over 238 million people, Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country and is the fourth biggest nation of the world. Through interaction with other cultures such as Indian, Arabic, Chinese and European, a wide range of musical styles has been developed. Today the contemporary music of Indonesia is popular not only in the region but also in the neighbouring countries Historical Milestones As early as the 7th century, Buddhist and Hindu empires struggled for supremacy in the islands that now comprise Indonesia. The center of the Buddhist Empire of Srivijaya was in the island of Sumatra, while that of the Hindu Empire of Mataram was in the island of Java. This Buddhist-Hindu heritage became the basis of Indonesias rich culture and national identity. In the 13th century, Muslim forces advancing southward from the Malay Peninsula challenged the Hindu Majapahit of Java. The Hindus were eventually forced to retreat to the island of Bali, where they remain until today. The rest of Indonesia gradually became Islamic, and various sultanates were established in different regions The first 10 years of independence was full of chaos, but in 1957 Sukarno was able to unify power and take control of the young nation. A coup attempt in 1965 brought back some confusion, but the army led by General Suharto was able to restore peace and order and subdue the Communisits. Later on, Suharto himself eased Sukarno out of the presidency and assumed leadership of Indonesia. His administration began a period of stability and economic development, a legacy that continues to this day. Unity in Diversity Today, Indonesia has the fourth largest national population in the world characterized by a diversity of regional cultures. Most Indonesians are of Malay or Polynesian descent, but because of centuries of foreign influence, Indian, Chinese, Arab, Persian, and European minorities can also be found in Indonesia. The largest ethnic group is Javanese, followed by Sundanese. Although 88% of the population is Muslim, the remaining 12% can be divided among Protestants, Catholics, Hindu, or Buddhists. Some still believe in spirit and ancestor worship, blending this with Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Indonesians from different regions speak more than 200 separate languages, but the adoption of Bahasa Indonesia as the national language has helped to unify a people of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. Indonesians firmly believe and practice unity in diversity. There are two basic kinds of Indonesian music scale: o Slendro five (5) equidistant tones in octave o Pelog heptatonic (7) tone scale with semi tone The Gamelan or Gamelan orchestra is the most popular form of music in Indonesia. There are many types of Gamelan but the famous Javanese and Balinese Gamelan are the most famous. It contains a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, kendang and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings Both vocal and instrumental music in Indonesia use slendro and peloq scales. Polyphonic stratification kind of melody is a result of hocket/Interlock. Interlocking is a common technique used in gong ensembles.

 Irama is an Indonesian term for tempo Vocal music is used as ornamentation of the Gamelan. It is as important as gamelan. 1. Pesindhen is a female soloist singer who sings with a Gamelan 2. Gerong refers to the unison male chorus that sings with the gamelan Karawitan is the term for every kind of gamelan music in Java. Gamelan orchestras - are used to accompany dances, songs, and Wayang Kulit - are believed to possess supernatural powers - consider their instruments sacred, therefore stepping over the instrument is a sign of disrespect - musicians bow before playing the instruments to show respect

Javanese Gamelan Gamelan music is perhaps the best and most important form of traditional Indonesian music. The gamelan is an instrumental ensemble consisting mostly of percussion instruments (idiophones). The ensemble usually performs in informal settings. Gamelan music entertains people in a social gathering. Guests listen to the music as they socialize with each other in a festive and lively atmosphere. Some guests may request for a favorite piece to be played or pay close attention to the way musicians or singers perform. Gamelan musicians Gamelan music is also closely related to other performing arts. Gamelan musicians play to accompany solo or group dance. They also accompany drama or theater. A particular type of theater that the gamelan accompanies is the shadow puppet theater called wayang kulit. (More will be said about the wayang kulit in the next module.) The gamelan consists of various xylophones made of metal, wood, or bamboo bars or slabs; hanging gongs, hand-held gongs and gongs placed on frames or racks. In addition to gongs and metallophones, the gamelan also has at least one drum, and may have other kinds of instruments cymbals and bells, flutes, and stringed instruments -- depending on the area where a particular gamelan is found. These instruments are unified by their tuning and often by their decorative carving and painting. Gamelan instruments may be made of brass, iron, or bronze, but bronze is the metal preferred by most manufacturers because of its durability and also because of its rich, more brilliant sound. Indonesian Musical Notation There are two major styles of gamelan playing. Loud-playing style is often used for festivals, processions, and other noisy outdoor events. The drums and metal instruments like gongs and slabs are primarily used. Soft-playing style is used for more intimate occasions, indoor gatherings, and often involves singing. Balinese Gamelan and Other Ensembles Bali is a small island just east of Java, where most of the Hindu population in Indonesia is found. Because the culture of the Balinese is closely tied up with their religion, their music and musical practices would be quite different from the Javanese These gamelans are also composed of various percussion instruments like metallophones and knobbed gongs, some of which have names similar to those in the Javanese gamelan. They also use the slendro and pelog tuning systems. The gamelan is also used to accompany dance, drama, and shadow puppet plays. there is no one large instrumental group that can be called the Balinese gamelan. The Balinese have a variety of ensembles, and almost all of them are strictly instrumental

 Balinese music compared to Javanese music is generally much faster, with interlocking melodic and rhythmic patterns, sudden changes in tempo and dynamics, and having a variety of textures. The gamelan gambuh is a small ensemble preserved by Balinese kings. It is composed of several long vertical flutes called suling gambuh and a rebab. These instruments play an elaborate melody. What is unique about the flutes is that they are played in such a way that when the player takes a breath, the melody is not interrupted. gamelan gong gede is a large ensemble that played an important role in the old courts. It is used for public ceremonies and temple festivities. It uses only the pelog tuning system. This ensemble, however, is now rather rare. gamelan semar pegulingan is the gamelan of the love god. It is a delicately sounding ensemble mostly made up of metallophones. The metallophones are used to play purely instrumental arrangements for the private entertainment of the court. Singapore The Republic of Singapore is an independent republic in Southeast Asia, comprised of one main island and about 50 small adjacent islands off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. About three-fourths of the people of Singapore, known as Singaporeans, are Chinese, but there are significant Malay and Indian minorities. Singapores cultural life reflects its colonization by the British Empire and its diverse population. Being the melting pot of different cultures in Asia, folk music of this country reflects the culture and traditions of specific groups. The ethnic groups which made a prominent place in the musical world of Singapore have been Chinese, Indian Malays, and Tamils. Other minority Asian ethnic groups which have also made a mark in the folk culture of Singapore are the Cantonese, Hokkien, and Malay Bangwasan. Through the years, the music industry in Singapore grew having Western-influenced performances by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra as well as ethnic music performances mainly by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Other performing groups with Malay and Indian influence are still prevalent until today. INDIVIDUAL/PAIR ACTIVITY: Make a scrapbook of Southeast Asian musical instruments. Carefully organize the pictures in your scrapbook and include a brief description about each instrument. Please refer to assessment rubric for the criteria. MUSIC OF THAILAND The music of Thailand reflects its geographic position at the intersection of China, India, Indonesia and Cambodia, and reflects trade routes that have historically included Persia, Africa, Greece and Rome. Thai musical instruments are varied and reflect ancient influence from far a field - including the klong thap and khim (Persian origin), the jakhe (Indian origin), the klong jin (Chinese origin), and the klong kaek (Indonesian origin). The two most popular styles of Traditional Thai music are luk thung and mor lam; the latter in particular has close affinities with the Music of Laos. Thai, ethnic minorities such as the Lao, Lawa, Hmong, Akha,

 Khmer, Lisu, Karen and Lahu peoples have retained traditional musical. Classical Music Thai classical music is synonymous with those stylized court ensembles and repertoires that emerged in its present form within the royal centers of Central Thailand some 800 years ago Three primary classical ensembles, the Piphat, Khruang Sai Mahori They differ in significant ways, but they all share a basic instrumentation and theoretical approach. Each employs the small ching hand cymbals and the krap wooden sticks to mark the primary beat reference.

The two most popular styles of Traditional Thai music are luk thung and mor lam; the latter in particular has close affinities with the Music of Laos. Thai, ethnic minorities such as the Lao, Lawa, Hmong, Akha, Khmer, Lisu, Karen and Lahu peoples have retained traditional musical.

Several kinds of small drums (klong) are employed in these ensembles to outline the basic rhythmic structure (natab) that is punctuated at the end by the striking of a suspended gong (mong). Montri Tramote (19081995) used standard western staff notation. Classical Thai music is heterophonic - the instruments either play the melody or mark the form. There are no harmony instruments. Instrumentalists improvise idiomatically around the central melody. The Thai scale includes seven tempered notes, instead of a mixture of tones and semitones Piphat The most common and iconic Thai classical music that symbolizes the dancing of the Thailand's legendary dragons, a midsized orchestra including two xylophones (ranat), an oboe (pi), barrel drums (klong) and two circular sets of tuned horizontal gong-chimes (kong wong).

 Piphat can be performed in either a loud outdoor style using hard mallets or in an indoor style using padded hammers. A piphat is a kind of ensemble in the classical music of Thailand, which features wind and percussion instruments.

Types of Piphat The smallest piphat, called piphat khruang ha, is composed of six instruments: pi nai (oboe); ranad ek (xylophone); khong wong yai (gong circle); taphon or other Thai drums; khlong thad, a set of two large barrel drums beaten with sticks; and ching (small cymbals). Often other small percussion instruments such as krab or chab are used. A slightly larger piphat ensemble is called piphat khruang khu, - consists of eight musical instruments. The other two instruments are the ranad thum (xylophone), which produces a deeper sound than the ranad ek, and khong wong lek, a gong circle that is higher in pitch than the khong wong yai. The largest form of piphat ensemble is the piphat khruang yai, which consists of ten musical instruments. Another ones are ranat ek lek and ranat thum lek; these are almost the same as their ancestors, the ranad ek and ranad thum, but they have keys made from metal instead of wood. Piphat mon The piphat mon is believed to derive from the Mon people, an ancient Mon-Khmer-speaking people of mainland Southeast Asia, and uses special instruments such as an upright gong circle called khong mon.