Awards

• Winner of 2005 Outstanding Academic Title 2006 (United States)

Overview

A gentle introduction to the familiar music from Southeast Asia's largest country—both as sound and cultural phenomenon. Gamelan: The Traditional Sounds of Indonesia provides an introduction to present-day Javanese, Balinese, Cirebonese, and Sundanese gamelan (gong chime orchestra) music through ethnic, social, cultural, and global perspectives. Deemphasizing potentially intimidating technical discussions of scales and models, this unique work focuses on the approaches to composing and playing gamelan music and how they relate to cultural and personal values. An introduction to Southeast Asian geography and history leads to a discussion of the different gamelan traditions in Bali and Java. A chapter on music and dance in West Java includes never-before published information on a variety of Sundanese music and dance genres. A case study of ""jaipongan,"" and ""dangdut,"" indigenous modern music and dance forms, explores their roots, roles, and authenticity. • Maps of Southeast Asia, Java, and Bali • 20+ photographs of musical instruments and other subjects

Full Product Details

9781851095063

Table of Contents

Reviews

The material on the gamelan will be useful even to specialists as a general survey of music from the region. The book is well balanced, written in jargon-free language while providing detailed discussion of composition and performance techniques . . . Summing Up: Essential. All collections supporting study of world music. - Choice

The material on the gamelan will be useful even to specialists as a general survey of music from the region. The book is well balanced, written in jargon-free language while providing detailed discussion of composition and performance techniques ... Summing Up: Essential. All collections supporting study of world music. - Choice

Author Information

Henry Spiller, PhD, is the Luce Assistant Professor of Asian Music and Culture at Kenyon College, Gambier, OH.

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