Indonesian Traditional

Indonesia's foremost national music, Gamelan, evolved over hundreds of years, originating as an accompaniment to court rituals and royal ceremonies. With an orchestra composed of gongs, drums, bamboo flutes and a metal xylophone-like instrument, Gamelan has a ponderous and -- to western ears -- anti-intuitive structure that can make for a haunting listening experience. The orchestra lures listeners in with curious, interlocking layers of percussion and entrancing melodies, performing a series of cyclical rhythms constrained by elaborate rules. The gong is central to all compositions, and indeed is considered holy within the Javanese religious tradition. The pitches of the melodies are striking -- no two orchestras are tuned alike, and their scales do not necessarily correspond to those of western music. Javanese orchestras tend to be slower and more ponderous, with whispery flutes, while Balinese ensembles are a bit harsher, faster and more rhythmically excited. Indonesian music is always dramatic, whether played by a small orchestra composed of a singer, a few drums and a reed instrument, or by a forty-piece percussion group.