Various Artists - Java: Sundanese Folk Music - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Various Artists - Bali Folk Music [COMPACT DISCS] date 09/02/2014

The Indonesian island of Bali is so small and densely populated that there has long been a complex system of cooperation among banjar, community groups within a village. Every family member shares duties in the household, every community member shares duties in the village, and every musician shares duties in creating a song. In the same way neighboring rice farmers have coordinated alternating watering patterns for maximum production, Balinese court musicians have developed interlocking melodies for maximum expression. The gamelan ensembles heard here-consisting of bronze gongs and metallophones, bamboo flutes, and hand drums-are played in the kebyar (InchlightningInch) style, at times so fast that it would be physically impossible without cooperation between paired players. The resulting music culls harmony from seeming chaos. The liner notes explain this phenomenon, as well as a brief history of Balinese musical tradition. Album Tracks 1. Sekar Jepun 2. Baris 3. Gambang Suling 4. Pendet 5. Tari Terompong 6. Palewakia 7. Legong Kraton

Traditional Javanese theater exists in various forms, featuring either puppets or dancers, and music from gamelan percussion ensembles. Musicians set the tone for each scene, softening or intensifying as they accompany the Dalang (story narrator) and Waranggana (chorus).This recording presents two styles of classic Indonesian musical theater rarely performed today. InchLangen mandra wanaraInch (InchSong of the MonkeysInch) is a large-scale dance-drama based on a segment of the Hindu Ramayana epic. InchLangen driyanInch(InchDiversion of the HeartInch), performed with an all-female cast, illustrates a centuries-old Hindu-Javanese legend of a royal battle. Both pieces use the pentatonic slendro tuning system, recognized as more dynamic and dramatic for theater, and both are considered unique to Java in the diverse world of Indonesian music.This album is part of the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music. More than 125 albums are being released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings to make the series publicly available again, including more than a dozen never-released albums of musical traditions from around the globe. Album Tracks 1. Langen Mandra Wanara (Entertainment on the Song of the Monkeys) - Various Artists 2. Langen Driyan (Entertainment for the Heart) - Various Artists