Kecak Dance (Picture from Wikipedia)
Javanese gongs (Picture from Wikipedia)
Music
Gamelan is the national music of Bali. It is described as a jangly clashing of syncopated sounds, hence rendering an extremely complex, distinct, and vibrant character. For music samples, please click on link http://www.amazon.com/Gamelan-Music-Bali-Various-Artists/dp/B000002291. You will be able to hear sounds produced by the most important gamelan instruments – metallophones, gongs and xylophones (which may be made of bronze or bamboo), set against an elaborate rhythmic background supported by cymbals, bell rattles, and drums. The classic sounds of the Balinese gamelan are produced mainly by bronze instruments, but there are also a few orchestras composed entirely of bamboo instruments.
Music and dance play an essential part in daily Balinese life. Like dancers, musicians are acutely conscious of their role as entertainers of the gods. They dress up in the ceremonial uniform of their music club, and make appropriate blessings and ritual offerings to the deities.
Dance
The very essence of Balinese culture is dance and drama, which is performed during temple festivals and in ceremonies. Balinese dance is closely intertwined with religion. The dances performed in hotels for tourists are usually a small fraction of what Balinese dance has to offer.
For those who are interested in watching the Kecak dance performance at Uluwatu on 23rd Feb, Kecak is a form of Balinese music drama originated in the 1930s and performed primarily by men. Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece, performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" and throwing up their arms, depicting a battle from the Ramayana* where the monkey-like Vanara helped Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana. For a sneak preview of a Kecak dance, please click on link http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1235289/famous_balinese_kecak_dance_indonesia/
The typical posture of Balinese dance has the legs half-bent, the torso shifted to one side with the elbow raised and lowered in a gesture that displays suppleness of the hands and fingers. Dance movements are closely associated with the rhythms of Balinese music. Multiple levels of articulations in the face, eyes, hands, arms, hips, and feet are coordinated to reflect layers of percussive sounds.
*Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India, the other being the Mahabharata. It depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters like the ideal servant, the ideal brother, the ideal wife and the ideal king. (Source: Wikipedia)
Art
Since the late 13th century, Ubud and its neighboring villages have been the center of Balinese art. Ubud and Batuan are known for their paintings, Mas for their woodcarvings, Celuk for gold and silver smiths, and Batubulan for their stone carvings.
Painting, sculpture, carving and music have traditionally been the province of men, while women channeled their creative energy into creating lavish offerings to the gods. Although a religiously regarded practice, Balinese art does not serve religion solely.
Painting
Balinese painting is classified into certain groups and styles.
1. Kamasan or classical painting, which is also named the wayang style. This style can be traced back to 9th century Javanese sculpture that features wayang figures, rich floral designs, and flame-and-mountain motifs characteristic of classical Balinese painting.
2. Pita Maha, which literally means 'great vitality'. This group was formed when painting was dying out as an art form and in a serious decline due to styles becoming stagnant.
Wood Carving
Wood carving is a craft practiced all over Bali. Any visitor to Bali is likely to be exposed to wood carving in all forms, be it the traditional ornate carved doors, the carved figures of gods, or the countless carved items in craft shops.
For quality wood carving, head to Tegallalang, Pujung, and Sebatu, which is north of Ubud. It is a great area to meet woodcarvers. For those who are interested, there are wood carving lessons in which you can learn to carve your own mask in about three weeks.
Jewelry
Balinese jewelry is almost always handmade, thus rarely involving casting techniques or the usage of imported silver. The village of Celuk is known for its rings, bracelets, necklaces, pins, and other objects of silver. Kamasan remains the center for traditional gold and silver jewelry.
Textiles
The first kind of textile that you will find in Bali is batik, which is popular among tourists and locals alike. It is interesting to note that batik is actually produced in central Java and then shipped to Bali.
Bali's own home-produced cloth is a weft ikat called endek. Ikat is made by tying the weft threads of a cloth before it is woven and then dying them so that the tied areas do not absorb the dye. The cloth is then woven and the pattern, created by the tying of the threads, emerges. This cloth is not very popular with visitors but is indispensable to the locals. Authentic ikat is made of silk but cotton and synthetic yarns are also widely used. Also, keep a look out for kain prada, fabrics woven of silk or cotton and decorated with silver or gold threads or gold leaf. These colorful kerchiefs are worn by temple girls during festivals and take three weeks to a month to weave.
Sources:
www.wikipedia.com
www.indo.com/interests/index.html
www.balispecial.com
www.bali-indonesia.com.culture/index.html
Research done by : Mae Ng, Margaret Huang
This is fascinating! Can you add some photos in for all of us to see?? We'll have to see who comes back with the best art. I don't know whether you've been to Ubud yet, but the art there is amazing. Also the drive between the coast and Ubud is just filled with village after village filled with specialty art.
ReplyDeleteHow open do you think the locals are to having a tourist join in on a dance? I'm hoping they're cool with it.
ReplyDeleteHey mae,great article!
ReplyDeleteSince there is an Indian influence in form of the epics and art on Bali, I would be really keen to see if they've reinvented Indian Classical music too. Would be really cool to listen and compare indian and balinese music if balinese music has taken a different path from the roots of the same ancient music of India.
sounds like I'll have to pack an extra bag just for souvenirs...!
ReplyDeleteYes, you'll definitely need a bag for souvenirs and art--their art is fantastic. I'd like to hear what our Indian colleagues think about the music. It has a very 'ding-ding' sort of sound to it--more atonal than tonal. And Jimmy, I'm not sure about joining in on the dance--we'll find out!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Jimmy and joining the dances ... and Jen, I'm bringing an extra suitcase too! My aunt and uncle just got back from Bali -- they brought back an amazing Ganesh carved from a single piece of wood and a 5 foot butterfly shaped kite made out of parachute material so it never tears. My uncle also brought back a fake Rolex, apparently at the main mall in Kuta if you go to the top floor there are a ton of kiosks where you can get your fill of fake designer items such as bags and watches, hahaha! I'm sure our friend Bernadette from the Marketing roundtable would love to know about it =P ..
ReplyDeleteThe art is amazing. And, in our past experience, they seem to be very willing (and expecting) to negotiate on price. It's so interesting as to how this varies by country. For example, in Vietnam they don't play around with price at all. What have you seen??
ReplyDeleteI took a module on gamelan when I studied in university and it was then that I gained a deep appreciation for the skill required to play those brass instruments, especially those that have a part in producing the balungan or melody, such as the slendro. You see, one has to press the end of each brass key just after hitting it to put a stop to the vibrations and the concomitant sound. You can imagine the dexterity, wit and concentration required to do this! A lot of us took about some time to get the hang of it because it's so confusing...
ReplyDeleteAs my professor told the class when he made me hit out a given melody while he managed the gongs, "The balungan has left us..."
While we are still at arts, lets not forget about the Balinese shadow puppets a.k.a Balinese Wayang which is one of the most prominent theatrical expression that combines crafts, music and dance. One of the popular night event in Ubud!
ReplyDeleteBryan and Ethan, It sounds like you've visited Bali a lot! Any advice or suggestions on great things to see/experience.
ReplyDeleteI tell you, the more I read all of your postings, the more excited I get!
Bryan I also studied Gamelan in school, but in my physics of music class, we did a unit on it. Cornell actually has a group of players dedicated to gamelan music as well as a full set of the instruments! I remember being fascinated by how complex the playing of the instrument was, and how unique it sounded. We never got to play, only listen and study the mathematical properties behind the sound of the instruments, but it was an experience that I will never forget. I hope that we get a chance to see a gamelan group play maybe it will jog my memory about some of the physics I learned! :)
ReplyDeleteHello guys,
ReplyDeleteApologies for the delayed response, but to address the following issues raised, here are the responses below and some additional information.
Omkar - Indian influences are very obvious in many of the art forms in Bali; however, in relation to music, it is only more apparent in the Javanese style of singing. So, perhaps we can try to look out for that.
All - Something interesting to note, there is a wonderful exhibition at the Asian Civilization Museum right now that highlights the gamelan instruments and even provides music samplings on location. They also have a showcase of the Balinese puppets that is performed with the music. If we have time when we get back, I highly suggest going to the museum for a class trip as it showcases the many cultures that make Singapore and Southeast Asia so unique.
http://www.acm.org.sg/the_museum/southeast_asia_gallery.asp
I like the thought that Jimmy has penned about tourists being able to join the locals in local activities,music or art.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this work in action in Bhutan where I was working prior to coming to the course.
Archery is the national sport of Bhutan.
The sport was simplified in a manner that the tourists could join the locals in these activities.
The tourists could also join the locals in local dances .
This helped promote the destination a great deal.In addition,it ensured that the tourists left the country on a highly positive note.
It also helps negate the negative experiences that the guest may have had during their visit
This could similarly be used in the context of Bali as well
Very interesting! For those of us who don't need to rush off to the airport on Friday, let's do more arts & crafts exploring!
ReplyDeleteSibi, I agree with your posting. Inviting tourists to experience the culture through physical activity is an invaluable marketing and selling tool. They will never forget it and then will tell all of their friends to go and experience it. As we learned in marketing, we are all co-producers of an experience and influence the sell of the service through our testimonials, whether we intend to or not.
Good call on the extra suitcase or bringing a larger than needed suitcase. Bryan, Ethan or Mae, how much can we bargain, on average?
I have seen performers performing kecak during my last visit to the island and it is very similar to the Indian Version of a 9 day long drama performance which takes place 28 days before the biggest Hindu festival "Deepawali" and is known as "Ramleela".As far as I remember full Kecak performance is a three hour long dance during which performers perform all the parts from the Holy book "Ramayana".what Mae and Margaret have mentioned is the dance depicting the battle which is in the concluding part of "Ramayana".
ReplyDeleteI like Omkar's question about Indian influence on Balinese music, so I did a little research on it, hope it helps people who are knowledgeable in Indian music to listen out for some strains of Indian influence while they are listening to Balinese gamelan:
ReplyDeleteComparing Balinese music and Indian music, both music forms are highly developed and balanced. The basis for Indian music is "sangeet". Sangeet is a combination of three art forms: vocal music, instrumental music and dance. The present system of Indian music is based upon two important pillars: raga and tala.
Ragas:
A raga, very basically, is the equivalent to what Western music would call a scale or mode. However, in ragas, the actual tonal distance between the notes may be completely different than "Do, Re, Mi". Furthermore, ragas also dictate which of these notes may be used, and how frequently, thereby laying a framework for improvisation. The concept of ragas and their functions is something that many musical scholars study for their whole lives.
Talas:
A tala is a rhythmic pattern, generally kept on the Indian drums known as the tabla. Some talas are very simple (yet very difficult to keep), some are extremely complex. Talas are all cyclical, and hold down the rhythm of the piece while the melodic instruments improvise. The drums do solo at some point during the song, but come back to the steady tala thereafter.
In Bali, the most recent musical development is kebyar, a restless, explosive music. Kebyar clubs compose their own music, often taking themes from older music.
Other musical instruments used in Indian classical music are the tabla, kanjira and mridangam (drums), tanpura or tambura (droning lute), veena, sarod and gottuvadyam (stringed instruments), and both the Western violin (whose fretless nature makes it able to fit into the ragas) and the Indian bowed string instrument known as the sarangi. Flutes are also used, including the bansuri and the nadaswaram. In contrast with Balinese music, the most important gamelan instruments are xylophones, gongs, gong chimes, flutes, cymbals, bell rattles, and drums.Hence, while musical structure of both Indian and Balinese music is similar, Balinese music sounds more percussive due to its instruments as compared to classical Indian music.
Riding on my topic of Balinese arts, this post is for all the shopaholics in us who are interested in taking a piece of Balinese culture back home with us as a souvenir
ReplyDeletecheck out the link
http://www.bali-indonesia.com/ubud/shopping.htm
Sneak peek into "shopping at Ubud"
Sukawati Art Market
Sukawati Art Market is the biggest market in Bali to purchase handicrafts and traditional handmade products, and is located on the main road of Sukawati. This two-floor building is packed with tourists and locals almost every weekend, especially during summer, Christmas, Eid Ul Fitr and New Year's holiday – sometimes you can’t even get a space in the parking lot.
The market sells everything from paintings, statues, traditional woven textiles, traditional kites, handmade bags, women’s accessories, shirts, sarongs and Balinese ceremonial items (made from colourful ‘Prada’ – gold painted cloth), all at reasonable prices. They even offer a better price in the morning when the market opens at 09:00. To get a wholesale price and enjoy the fixed prices for each item, visit Pasar Pagi Sukawati (Sukawati Morning Market), which is open from 07:00 to 11:00 only, and offers handicrafts similar to Sukawati Art Market.
Location: on Jalan Raya Sukowati
Personally I didn’t enjoy the loud thumping sounds of Bali Music but they are strikingly similar to the temple chants and village music in parts of India. It is common to create music using 2 small brass shallow cupped plates while praying to the gods or singing Bhajans - prayer hymns. Tourist involvement in India is encouraged but in a respectful way. Locals may be offended if they sense that the tourists are mocking their rituals. Most dance and music has a religious connotation, hence hop in with caution.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to find out that, the music of Bali has inspired well known composers from all around the world. Bela Bartok titled his No.109 piece "From the island of Bali." It is also said that Debussy, after having met a Balinese musician and seen a Balinese orchestra performed in Europe, was very impressed, and that much of his later works contain distinct colors of Balinese music.
But Colin McPhee (1900-1964), a Montreal-born author and musician, was probably the one most affected as well as most influential in Balinese music. Story has it that his life-changing moment happened in New York, when he first encountered a Balinese gamelan. He travelled to Bali, and immersed himself in learning about and contributing to Balinese music. His Tabuh-tabuhan: toccata for orchestra won him the coveted Pulitzer Prize. McPhee was also mostly responsible for the introduction of Balinese music and gamelan into the U.S. Many ethnomusicology departments in various U.S. universities today as well as performance groups have in-house gamelan.
Source: http://www.indo.com/culture/music.html