Enthusiasts of traditional music will encounter a great treasure
and pleasure in Bali. This small island, inhabited by some
four million people, has diverse traditional music to enjoy.
Probably, there are over tens of gambelan orchestras available
in their particular traditions.
As
religious community, the Balinese (Hindu) accompany many ritual
with a gambelan orchestra. Each different ceremony has a different
mood too. For instance, the cremation ceremony is accompanied
by the melancholic angklung or gambelan orchestra, but on
conveying a bade tower carrying the coffin to cremation ground,
a dynamic bleganjur orchestra will accompany this along the
procession. That’s why the bearers of the towers are
getting more and more zealous. As id they are not tired, although
they move under the fierce heat of the sun or drizzle. The
remain to move and shout joyfully until the lace pace.
On another occasion, lelambatan is heard playing in slow and
brisk rhythm intermittently during the temple
festival. At the same time, the priest is chanting his mantra
on the pavilion for the ritual and is assisted by some banten
or oblation makers making some preparation for him. The orchestra
makes the ambience progressively solemn.
In the meantime, as soon as entering the hotel lobby where you
stay, you may hear the Sundanese degung or Balinese rindik indistinctly
playing. Both generate sentimental strains of instrumental music
just like that of Kenny G. At least, they will help release the
tension and tiredness or jet lag after a long haul flight. Or
at dinner time at the local restaurants as well as Bali
spa, it will be more romantic with the presentation of this
music.
Should you get interested in this Balinese
music, you can bring home this ambience as well. So if you
spend your holiday in Bali, you can find easily in the format
of a tape, disk or other digital format. They are sold at
music stations, supermarkets or at the music counter near
your hotel.
Other topic, music in Bali has a sacred day, click
here for more detail
